New Zealand Will Give Free Coronavirus Vaccines To Residents, Neighboring Nations
If the vaccines are proven to be safe and effective, the immunization campaign is expected to begin with border officers and other essential workers at the beginning of 2021.
New Zealand has advance purchased two new coronavirus vaccines from pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Novavax, giving the small island country the ability to vaccinate its 5 million residents.
Government officials also announced Thursday they will go a step further and provide free doses to its population as well as neighboring nations Tokelau, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu, should they want them.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said during a news conference that the effort would be the country's largest immunization rollout ever.
"Never before has the entire globe sought to vaccinate the entire population at the same time," Ardern said. "This will be a sustained rollout over months not weeks but our pre-purchase agreements means New Zealand is well positioned to get on with it as soon as it is proven safe to do so."
The University of Oxford-AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines will add to New Zealand's previously agreed upon purchases of vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Janssen Pharmaceutica. The new agreements secures access to 7.6 million doses from AstraZeneca – enough for 3.8 million people, and 10.72 million doses from Novavax– enough for 5.36 million people, according to the government. Both vaccines require two doses.
Ardern said, "Our approach allows for the possibility for some vaccines to be more suited to certain population groups or for deployment in different areas. "
If the vaccines are proven to be safe and effective, the vaccination process is expected to begin early next year with border-control personnel and later other essential workers, with the general population getting the vaccines in the second half of the year.
Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Megan Woods said the variety ensures "no-one misses out, even if it means we've purchased more than we need. It's an investment worth making."
Ardern said New Zealand is also working with Australia to support vaccination across the wider Pacific.
New Zealand has kept community spread of the virus low by keeping its borders closed — a choice that has decimated its vital tourism industry.
Government officials reminded the public that the start of COVID-19 vaccines doesn't mean a quick lifting of the nation's border lockdown.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins called the country's borders the first line of defense against imported cases.
He said, "To make any decisions around borders we need to be confident that the New Zealand population is sufficiently protected."
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the U.S. is also taking steps to ensure all Americans have access to the COVID-19 vaccines at no cost once it becomes widely available.
Government officials also announced Thursday they will go a step further and provide free doses to its population as well as neighboring nations Tokelau, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu, should they want them.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said during a news conference that the effort would be the country's largest immunization rollout ever.
"Never before has the entire globe sought to vaccinate the entire population at the same time," Ardern said. "This will be a sustained rollout over months not weeks but our pre-purchase agreements means New Zealand is well positioned to get on with it as soon as it is proven safe to do so."
The University of Oxford-AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines will add to New Zealand's previously agreed upon purchases of vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Janssen Pharmaceutica. The new agreements secures access to 7.6 million doses from AstraZeneca – enough for 3.8 million people, and 10.72 million doses from Novavax– enough for 5.36 million people, according to the government. Both vaccines require two doses.
Ardern said, "Our approach allows for the possibility for some vaccines to be more suited to certain population groups or for deployment in different areas. "
If the vaccines are proven to be safe and effective, the vaccination process is expected to begin early next year with border-control personnel and later other essential workers, with the general population getting the vaccines in the second half of the year.
Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Megan Woods said the variety ensures "no-one misses out, even if it means we've purchased more than we need. It's an investment worth making."
Ardern said New Zealand is also working with Australia to support vaccination across the wider Pacific.
New Zealand has kept community spread of the virus low by keeping its borders closed — a choice that has decimated its vital tourism industry.
Government officials reminded the public that the start of COVID-19 vaccines doesn't mean a quick lifting of the nation's border lockdown.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins called the country's borders the first line of defense against imported cases.
He said, "To make any decisions around borders we need to be confident that the New Zealand population is sufficiently protected."
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the U.S. is also taking steps to ensure all Americans have access to the COVID-19 vaccines at no cost once it becomes widely available.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
