‘There are still many unknowns’: experts on New Zealand’s great vaccine plan

The government announced this morning two new vaccine purchases that will provide enough to vaccinate all New Zealanders, to be rolled out from the second quarter of next year. Next, expert response, via the Science Media Center.

Michael Baker

It’s great to see these details about the next big step in New Zealand’s pandemic response. The speed and efficiency of vaccine development worldwide has been staggering, particularly the new class of RNA vaccines. These vaccines will make it much easier for New Zealand to maintain its elimination status as it moves from the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions (in particular, border quarantine) to the use of vaccines.

It is also good to see New Zealand’s continued commitment to supporting access to vaccines in the Pacific and around the world for low- and middle-income countries. There are still many unknowns, in particular the duration of protection provided by these vaccines and their ability to interrupt transmission of the Covid-19 virus. But these uncertainties should be manageable in a number of ways.

It is important that this announcement does not increase complacency about the threat of a pandemic. New Zealand is now entering a high risk period during the summer in which we will continue to see a large number of imported cases arriving at our MIQ facilities from foreign countries where the pandemic is still increasing.

I would like New Zealand to do much more to manage this risk by introducing measures to reduce the number of infected travelers arriving here (e.g. by using short periods of quarantine and testing in those countries of origin, which could be traced through our reservation system).

Michael Baker is Professor of Public Health, University of Otago

Siouxsie Wiles

Today’s announcement of the purchase of enough doses of Covid-19 vaccine to vaccinate all New Zealanders and some of our Pacific neighbors is very good news. The government has taken the smart approach of investing in a portfolio of vaccines that have been developed using a variety of technologies. This is important because each technology has different advantages and disadvantages, and some vaccines will be more acceptable to some communities than others. Some may also not be effective enough to be implemented in New Zealand.

The fact that Medsafe is accepting ongoing submissions of safety and efficacy data also means that New Zealanders can be assured that there will be no unnecessary delays in licensing vaccines if the data shows that they are safe and effective.

The big question now is, how safe and effective are the different vaccines? While the safety data looks great, the scientific community is still waiting to see all the data on how well each vaccine prevents transmission of the Covid-19 virus and prevents serious illness. That will determine how vaccines should be implemented in New Zealand and when it will be safe to open our borders again.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles is a microbiologist at the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland.

Nikki turner

New Zealand is taking a sensible approach to pre-buying vaccines that look promising with good science behind them. To date, the first data on cutting edge vaccine contenders looks extremely promising, but we are still awaiting more scientific data before proceeding to purchase.

We must be very aware that a pre-purchase agreement is dependent on the successful completion of the large phase three studies that are still ongoing. These results need to be closely scrutinized by the New Zealand licensing authority Medsafe to ensure the safety and efficacy profile of each vaccine. Other countries, such as the US and UK, have gone ahead with emergency approval with intermediate results that look good and are starting to deliver vaccines but are in a different position than New Zealand. Although it is economically very challenging for us to have border controls, we currently have no serious illnesses or deaths from this disease, a very privileged position. Personally, I think it is appropriate for us in our current situation to be securing vaccine supplies, but waiting for the final results of the studies.

I am very pleased to see that New Zealand is also committed to supporting our Pacific neighbors. Many wealthier countries, such as New Zealand, are buying initial supplies of vaccines, which is reducing global stocks for the Covax initiative, making vaccine availability for lower-income countries further away. At least New Zealand and Australia are pledging some support for our less resourceful neighbors and continue to support Covax.

Vaccines are not going to hit the shores of New Zealand suddenly. Now we will have a period of at least three, but it will most likely be almost six months to continue examining the science, see how the launch of the vaccine is going in other countries and prepare for our end. By the time vaccines enter New Zealand, we will have more safety data and in particular additional data from monitoring systems internationally as vaccines are rolled out elsewhere, which will be very helpful.

The approach planned by NZ recognizes that we have two problems. First, protect people as quickly as possible, hence the logic behind the Ministry of Health’s focus on protecting first those who administer borders and quarantine services, and then frontline providers. The second question is how to consider the possibility of opening our borders, and this still seems a long way off. So far we do not know if these vaccines have the ability to prevent transmission, and that is crucial information that we will need to plan for the future.

So while this is not a magic bullet to restore life as we used to know it, it is a good starting plan, one that makes rational scientific sense with the best knowledge we have today and a decent amount of sensible caution in New Zealand.

Dr Nikki Turner is Director of the Immunization Advisory Center at the University of Auckland.

James Ussher

It is very encouraging to see the progress the government has made in accessing vaccines for New Zealand. Together with participation in the COVAX Facility, the vaccine portfolio that has been assembled provides greater certainty that New Zealanders will have access to effective vaccines starting in the second quarter of 2021.

The portfolio includes several technologies, including mRNA, viral vectors, and a protein subunit vaccine. All candidates are in an advanced stage of clinical development. Having a diverse portfolio ensures us against the failure of a particular candidate during clinical trials and maximizes the chances that a suitable vaccine will be available to the majority of New Zealanders. Along with the Janssen vaccine, the AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines are easier to store and deploy than Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine; as such, these vaccines should be suitable for deployment in the Pacific.

It is also very encouraging to see the government’s continued commitment to the Pacific and global access to vaccines. All countries must have access to effective vaccines as soon as possible and New Zealand’s contribution to COVAX will help with this.

Associate Professor James Ussher is an immunologist, clinical microbiologist, director of the Webster Center for Infectious Diseases at the University of Otago; and Scientific Director of Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand – Ohu Kaupare Huaketo

David murdoch

New Zealand’s Covid-19 vaccine portfolio now includes three different vaccine technologies. This aligns with other portfolios from various countries in Australia and several in North America and Europe, and provides alternatives in the event that some options do not progress after clinical trials are completed.

Today’s announcement also provided details on the sequencing plan for the launch of the vaccine, which is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2021. Border, isolation and managed quarantine workers, healthcare workers most at risk of exposure to Covid-19 and household contacts of the The first two groups will be the first group to receive the vaccine.

This will be by far the largest immunization deployment ever conducted in New Zealand, and will require the alignment of multiple systems to ensure successful and safe coverage. Today’s announcement indicated that the program is progressing well, but this will require continued and focused effort for some time.

Professor David Murdoch is Dean and Campus Director of the University of Otago, Christchurch.

Graham Le Gros

This is excellent news for New Zealand, it means that NZ will have a good variety of vaccine types available to the population that will be adapted to our infrastructure and storage facilities. The variety of types of vaccines that have been insured will ensure that we are not caught if one of the vaccines does not meet all the necessary requirements in terms of efficacy and administration.

The careful process that is followed prior to implementation will mean nothing will be rushed and vaccines will only be administered once the New Zealand regulatory agency Medsafe has reviewed all safety data, and staff and resources are ready. for the actual vaccine. This is good news for New Zealand and the Pacific.

Professor Graham Le Gros is an immunologist, director of the Malaghan Institute for Medical Research; and Program Director Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand – Virus Prevention Team