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The government has secured two more vaccinations, enough for all New Zealanders and their Pacific partners, says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
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Additional vaccines that are being purchased previously are from pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Novavax.
A total of 7.6 million doses will come from AstraZeneca, enough for 3.8 million people and 10.72 million doses of Novavax, enough for 5.36 million people. Both vaccines require the administration of two doses.
The government already has pre-purchase agreements for 750,000 courses from Pfizer / BioNTech and 5 million from Janssen.
The cost of the new pre-purchase agreements was not disclosed, but the vaccines will be free to New Zealanders, the government said.
Ardern said the new agreements mean that the government will now have three different types of vaccine technology available in case some are found to be unsuccessful.
He said if Medsafe proves the vaccines are safe and effective, then the government’s first priority will be to vaccinate border workers, essential personnel and their household contacts.
“We expect the vaccines to be delivered to our front-line workers in the second quarter of 2021,” he said.
“Our goal is to begin vaccinating the general public in the second half of the year. The entire launch of the vaccine will depend on Medsafe approval and speed of manufacture.”
Health Minister Andrew Little said Medsafe has made changes to its vaccine approval processes to make it faster.
He said Medsafe has agreed to allow pharmaceutical companies to make ongoing requests for their Covid-19 vaccines, meaning they can submit their data as it is complete and ready for evaluation to speed up the process.
“Pfizer, BioNTech and Janssen have already started submitting data, and the timing of Medsafe’s approval process depends on many factors, such as the data that companies provide and whether it meets internationally agreed criteria for safety and efficacy.
“Medsafe has simplified its evaluation processes and is prioritizing the evaluation of Covid-19 vaccines over other pharmaceuticals to obtain a vaccine more quickly, but the safety of the vaccine will not be compromised. Medsafe will remain in close contact with its Australian counterpart.” Little said.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said that work is underway to ensure the implementation is successful.
“New Zealand has never before attempted an immunization program of this scale and complexity,” he said.
“Workforce planning to ensure we have enough vaccinators is well underway. There are about 12,000 healthcare professionals who can already administer vaccines and more will be trained.
“And, as part of the new National Immunization Solution, the Ministry of Health will have an inventory management system for Covid-19 vaccines with precise information on where they are located and the temperature in the central storage facilities.
“This will allow us to track and trace Covid-19 vaccines and consumables, including their expiration dates, to reduce waste.”
The government has also purchased nine freezers that can store more than 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. They must arrive in the country at the end of the month, he said.
Hipkins reiterated that the immunization program does not mean that the border will be opened immediately.
“Our border remains the first line of defense against Covid-19 for imported cases. To make decisions around borders, we must trust that the New Zealand population is sufficiently protected.
“It means that we will need information on whether Covid-19 vaccines are effective in providing people protection against the virus and reducing transmission, and a gradual construction towards the immunity of the population, which will take time.”
The government will provide $ 75 million in support to Pacific partners
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced that the government is preparing to help its Pacific partners access Covid-19 vaccines.
Mahuta confirmed that $ 75 million in official development assistance had been earmarked to support access to and deployment of vaccines in the Pacific and the world.
“New Zealand is looking for a portfolio of potential Covid-19 vaccines to ensure that we have flexibility and options in the fast-moving global market. We want to ensure that Pacific countries can also access appropriate options and have the support they need to function. successful immunization campaigns “.
He said New Zealand’s focus will be to buy enough vaccines to cover the Kingdom of New Zealand (Tokelau, Niue, Cook Islands) and its Polynesian neighbors Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu should their governments wish to take them on.
Included in the $ 75 million support package, New Zealand plans to make an additional $ 10 million contribution to the COVAX Facility’s Advanced Market Engagement, which is the key multilateral mechanism that has emerged to support equitable global access. New Zealand is also ready to contribute to broader Pacific regional initiatives as they take shape.
See RNZ’s full coverage of Covid-19
