New Zealand Cabinet Confirms Approval of COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19
3 years ago
Pasifika Wire

Minister for COVID-19 Response Chris Hipkins says Cabinet has confirmed formal Government approval for use of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

This follows the provisional approval by Medsafe announced last week. Minister Hipkins says the Government  continues to go by the book and has carefully considered the ‘decision to use’ the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine as part of the nationwide programme.  “Medsafe’s provisional approval was step one and ‘decision to use’ is a further greenlight on the road to our roll-out. After receiving further advice, Cabinet has endorsed officials’ advice to use Pfizer/BioNTech.”

Minister Hipkins says the approval is a crucial stage and starting next week information will come forward about how the Government plans to proceed with the vaccine rollout, “when the first batch of vaccine arrives, we will be ready to go. We will start vaccinating our border workers within days of arrival and then the people they live with. People such as cleaners, the nurses who undertake health checks in MIQ, security staff, customs and border officials, airline staff and hotel workers will be among the first to get the vaccine.”

New Zealand continues to play a role internationally and specifically with the Pacific countries participating in the Polynesian Health Corridors programme. These countries, which include the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu, will be given access to the New Zealand vaccine portfolio.

 

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