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Up to five million people could receive their Covid-19 injection by 2022, if the vaccine passes safety tests.
The government agreed to purchase a single-dose vaccine from Janssen Pharmaceutica once clinical trials are complete and it passes regulatory approvals. It is the latest announcement of agreements for the supply of Covid-19 vaccines, if they are shown to be safe and effective.
It would see up to two million doses delivered starting in July next year and another three million through 2022. It would be a single-dose vaccine that is compatible with New Zealand’s distribution system, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods said.
“It is an initial agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica, and we expect a formal advance purchase agreement to be finalized in the coming weeks,” he said.
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University of Maryland / AP School of Medicine
A Covid-19 vaccine could be implemented starting in July 2021, if it is shown to be safe and effective. (File photo)
“A key point of the difference from the Janssen vaccine is that it is likely to be a single dose vaccine and is compatible with standard vaccine delivery channels, so it can potentially be more efficient to deliver.”
Those at risk of contracting and spreading Covid-19 will be first in line to receive the vaccine, followed by those most likely to die from it.
That will include people in high-risk jobs, such as the health workforce, older people, disabled people, Maori and Pasifika, and people with multiple health problems.
Woods was confident in Janssen Pharmaceutica’s ability to produce a vaccine because, together with parent company Johnson & Johnson, it had a strong record of producing safe and effective pharmaceuticals.
“This gives us confidence in their ability to develop, manufacture and administer a safe and effective vaccine.”
The government has already agreed to buy 1.5 million doses, enough for 750,000 people, from Pfizer and BioNTech, with more deals on the cards.
“The Covid-19 Vaccine Strategy Working Group is working to ensure that additional agreements are in place to complete the vaccine portfolio,” Woods said.
“Our top priority is to make sure New Zealand and our Pacific neighbors have access to safe and effective vaccines.”
The first doses of the Pfizer vaccine, to be kept at -70 degrees Celsius, could be rolled out in New Zealand in early 2021.
Jeremy Davidson / AP
Pfizer has a facility the size of a football field to store finished Covid-19 vaccines at approximately -70 ° C.
The government was investigating the cold chain storage technology available for this vaccine, while New Zealand is one of the few countries that has an advanced agreement with Pfizer.
Woods has said he would push for more doses.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins explained that officials are working hard to ensure New Zealand receives a good supply of vaccines and is able to distribute them effectively.
At the moment, the government is not considering a user payment model, but certain groups can be prioritized based on scientific and risk-based assessments. “Until we know which vaccines will hit the market first and which ones we will get first, we cannot finalize those decisions,” he told RNZ. Morning report.
There is a possibility that New Zealand will not be able to get enough of a single vaccine, so several could be put on the market. “We are likely to end up with a portfolio of vaccines in the first place.”
Chief Health Officer Dr. Ashley Bloomfield said The AM Show Thursday an effective vaccine will be important for life to return to normal. “Covid is with us to stay.”
University of Otago infectious disease physician and clinical microbiologist Professor David Murdoch said the initial analysis of the Pfizer data was encouraging and that the efficacy of the vaccine was “higher than many would have anticipated.”
