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New Zealand has made its latest bet in the global race for a Covid-19 vaccine, announcing a $ 27 million deal that could cover half of the country’s population.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that cabinet ministers had signed an agreement with the global COVAX alliance, which is backed by an international public-private consortium and is developing multiple potential vaccines.
New Zealand experts say there is great uncertainty, although international efforts to produce Covid-19 vaccines have reached human trials and may begin to show positive results by the end of the year.
However, New Zealanders cannot expect to be vaccinated all at once, as it is likely that “waves” of different vaccines will need to be purchased to cover the majority of the population.
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Ardern, while announcing that the country would lower Covid-19 alert levels in the next week, said New Zealand would enter into a legally binding agreement to purchase any vaccine emerging from the COVAX facility.
“This is one of the key steps we will take to ensure New Zealanders have access to a safe Covid-19 vaccine when one is available,” Ardern said.
New Zealand said it would join the COVAX Facility in July. It is led by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, a public-private organization made up of members such as the World Health Organization, Unicef and the World Bank, among others.
Hagen Hopkins
New Zealand said it would join the COVAX facility in July.
The COVAX Facility’s investment was part of the government’s broader Covid-19 vaccine strategy, including a $ 15 million contribution to research from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, $ 10 million for an alliance of vaccine researchers in New Zealand and $ 5 million to improve manufacturing. capacity in New Zealand.
“The COVAX facility ensures that Covid-19 vaccines are equitably distributed in all participating countries, around the world … This investment will give us the option to purchase from a diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates should one have success, ”Ardern said.
Ardern said the Cabinet had set aside “hundreds of millions of dollars” to enter into such deals, and other advance purchase agreements would likely be signed.
“I’m often asked, ‘What will make a difference in our border setup?’ … One of the main factors will be a vaccine. “
Chancellor Winston Peters said Monday that the signed deal was an initial “advance purchase.”
“The agreement will ensure that New Zealand receives enough vaccines to cover up to 50 percent of the population of New Zealand and the Kingdom, which includes Tokelau, Cook Islands and Niue,” it said in a statement.
Ryan Anderson / Stuff
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that the cabinet had signed the advanced purchase agreement.
More funds would be needed to purchase that many vaccines, if the COVAX facility succeeds in producing one. “The exact amount of additional funds is not yet known,” Peters said.
University of Otago associate professor James Ussher, director of the government-backed Vaccine Alliance, said the national effort to develop a vaccine was in “full swing,” with several prospective vaccines being developed for clinical evaluation.
He said that any vaccine produced in New Zealand would likely be part of a second wave of treatments, as phase three clinical trials, the final phase, of potential vaccines were already underway abroad.
“The pace of development that we are seeing so far is unprecedented, and it has been incredibly encouraging to see how quickly, but thoroughly, the process has been followed,” he said.
He said several vaccines would be needed, as some were being tested in specific age groups and populations, meaning they may only be suitable for specific groups of people. Some vaccines may require cold storage, which means that they will not be adapted to populations in countries where cold storage distribution is limited.
It was also uncertain for how long a vaccine could provide immunity to a person. “It is not clear how it will play out at this time.”
University of Auckland associate professor Helen Petousis-Harris, a vaccinologist, said the COVAX facility was one of the ways the government could procure a vaccine, but there was also interest in negotiating directly with vaccine developers.
“They are putting a lot of eggs in a lot of baskets … It’s really about spreading the risk and distributing the load, in all possible options.
People in high-priority groups, such as healthcare workers and people with pre-existing health conditions, would likely be the first in line to get a vaccine.
Estimates of how many people would need to be vaccinated to achieve “herd immunity” in New Zealand ranged from 50 to 70 percent of the population, he said. Much would depend on the efficacy of any vaccine and its effectiveness in preventing transmission of the virus.
The Health Ministry released two reports last week, one on the management of the 2019 measles outbreaks and the other on flu vaccine supply problems.
Reports found that measles immunization rates urgently needed improvement, a national vaccination registry should be considered, and flu vaccine distribution is hampered by ambiguous policies and poor communication.
Whether the issues highlighted in the reports could also affect the distribution of a Covid-19 vaccine remains a question.
“What do we take from that and how do you approach those things, I guess that’s a question,” Petousis-Harris said.
