Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield is defending the timeframe to get Covid-19 vaccinations for children approved and rolled out.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday he expects the under-12s vaccine to be approved and its rollout to start from late January, around the start of the school year.
Bloomfield said they are still waiting on the advice from Medsafe, and it cannot be rushed.
"They need to be given time to make sure that process is done thoroughly."
He said the summer period would see a lot of families moving around, which would make getting vaccinated difficult. On top of this, vaccinators have been working hard throughout the year and he said they deserve a break.
He said administering the vaccine to children requires vaccinators to be trained to use it, as it is a slightly different formulation and a different vial.
The discussion on vaccines comes as two Nelson schools have been forced to close after staff members tested positive for Covid-19.
One person at Enner Glynn School who got a positive result back yesterday had been infectious since Monday. Broadgreen Intermediate has also told parents it has one case, who was infectious from last Thursday.
Dr Bloomfield said a lockdown is not on the cards for Nelson at this stage.
