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SYDNEY, March 8 – New Zealand will buy additional Covid-19 vaccines, developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech in Germany, which will be enough to provide the vaccine nationwide, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today.
The government has signed an agreement to buy an additional 8.5 million doses, enough to vaccinate more than 4 million people, Ardern said, adding that the vaccines were expected to reach the country in the second half of the year. .
“This will bring our total Pfizer prescription up to 10 million doses or enough for 5 million people to get the two shots needed to get vaccinated against Covid-19,” Ardern said in a statement.
The government’s initial agreement with Pfizer was for 1.5 million doses, enough to vaccinate 750,000 people.
Ardern said the decision was made by Pfizer as the country ‘s leading vaccine provider after showing that it is approximately 95 percent effective in preventing symbolic disease.
New Zealand launched the national release of the Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine last month and plans to include the entire population by the end of the year.
With just over 2,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 26 deaths, the pandemic in New Zealand was comparable to other developed countries, aided by rapid tracking systems, border closures and seizure locks.
Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, emerged yesterday from a week-long tight lockdown following a community outbreak of the more contagious British coronavirus variety.
They did not report new issues today. – Reuters