New Zealand approves Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

On Wednesday, February 3, New Zealand authorised emergency use of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. The country is expecting its first shipment by the month of April. Frontline medical workers, border staff and risk groups are on the top of the priority list to receive the first shots of the magazine. 

In a press release, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, "Medsafe's [regulator's] decision is the culmination of a rigorous assessment process over many months to ensure the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is safe and effective to use here. It is informed by the most up to date medical and scientific data. We can have confidence in their decision”. COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins, said, "We expect the first Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines will arrive in New Zealand by the end of the first quarter, but we are making sure everything is in place in case there is an earlier arrival".

Recently, Ardern also announced that the borders will remain impacted and would not open again until New Zealanders are "vaccinated and protected". According to the reports by The Guardian, she said that New Zealand will feel like it has returned to normal only when there is a certain level of normality in the rest of the world too. Also, as she looks at the uncertainty of the global rollout of the vaccine, she is expecting the borders to be impacted for much of this year. 

Read: New Zealand Borders To Stay Shut Till Citizens Are 'vaccinated And Protected', Says Arden

Will 'take some time' 

In order to begin travel again, one needs to ensure that they are vaccinated and they do not pass on the virus further after that. However, that remains unsure as of now, says Ardern. Talking further about the issue, she said, both these possibilities will ‘take some time’. According to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University, New Zealand has a total of 2,308 cases with 25 fatalities. 

Read: COVID-19: Pfizer-BioNTech Say Their Vaccine Effective Against UK, South Africa Variants

During mid-December, Ardern announced that New Zealand has ordered 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from four different pharmaceuticals. Terming it as the country’s "largest-ever immunisation programme", the New Zealand government has reportedly secured 750,000 jabs from Pfizer, 5 million from Janssen, 3.8 million from Oxford/AstraZeneca and 5.36 million from Novavax. Talking about the mass inoculation, Ardern said New Zealand would have to wait till the second quarter of the next year to get the vaccines. However, once the process starts healthcare workers and border officials would be prioritised. She also revealed that vaccines would be free of cost for every resident in the country.

Read: Pfizer-BioNTech Coronavirus Vaccine Not Linked To Post-vaccination Deaths: EU Regulator

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(Image Credits: AP)