New Zealand will use only the Pfizer vaccine to immunize its population against the coronavirus, reversing its previous plans to use four different drugs.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the strategy on Monday, saying it was due to the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. For all New Zealanders to have access to the same vaccine will be easier and fairer, she said.
However, the plan could also be due in part to vaccine authorization delays. For now, New Zealand health authorities have only approved Pfizer’s vaccine and are reviewing two other options.
New Zealand has bought 10 million doses of the vaccine from Pfizer, enough to inoculate the country’s 5 million people with the two necessary doses. Most of the doses are expected to arrive in New Zealand during the second half of the year, the president added.
So far, New Zealand has only vaccinated a few thousand people, mostly border workers. The country has eliminated local infections of the virus, and vaccinations are not considered as urgent as in other countries.