14 Oct 2020

NZ keeps Pacific in mind with vaccine deal

From , 5:02 am on 14 October 2020

New Zealand says it is keeping the Pacific in mind when it comes to access to a Covid-19 vaccine.

The government has announced its first agreement to secure enough doses of the drug for 750-thousand people.

But before that vaccine can be delivered, its makers, Pfizer and BioNTech, have to prove it works.

And there's no guarantee that will happen. 

New Zealand, like most countries in the Pacific, is already signed up to the global COVAX facility which aims to provide equitable access to Covid-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.

Following announcement of the Pfizer and BioNTech deal, New Zealand's Minister for Research, Science and Innovation, Megan Woods, spoke to Suzie Fergusson who began by asking her about the government's overall Covid-19 vaccine strategy.

Dr. Rhonda Flores labels protein samples at Novavax labs in Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States, on March 20, 2020, one of the labs developing a vaccine for Covid-19.

Photo: AFP