New Delhi (NVI): New Zealand has ordered 15 million courses of Covid-19 vaccine as the country approaches the end of 2020 on a promising note, with a recovering economy and plans to open numerous travel corridors in the new year.
The New Zealand government will purchase COVID-19 vaccines from pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Novavax, meaning every New Zealander will be able to be vaccinated, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
The Prime Minister further confirmed that the treatment would be free for everyone, with health workers and border officials prioritised. The vaccine will be made available in the second quarter of next year.
The new agreements secure 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. Both vaccines require two doses to be administered.
In addition to this, some of the vaccines will be sent to countries in the Pacific. As part of its vaccine 2021 plan, the government announced NZ$75m in funding to help Pacific countries vaccinate their populations.
“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,” she added.
The news came as New Zealand’s economy rebounded in the September quarter, growing 14 per cent.
Stats NZ today stated that the growth was the strongest quarter in New Zealand’s modern history, coming off the back of an 11 per cent drop in the June quarter.
-CHK
