New Zealand will use only the Pfizer vaccine to immunize its population against the coronavirus, changing its previous plans to use four different drugs.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the strategy on Monday and noted that it was due to the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Making all New Zealanders able to access the same vaccine will be easier and fairer, he noted.
However, the plan could also be due in part to delays in vaccine authorization. For now, the New Zealand health authorities have only approved the Pfizer vaccine and are reviewing two other options.
New Zealand has bought 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, enough to inoculate the country’s 5 million people with the two necessary doses. Most 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 virus infections, and vaccinations are not considered as urgent as in other countries.