Promising drug; Govt makes deal

WELLINGTON: The Government has agreed to buy 1.5 million doses of a possible Covid19 vaccine from one of the leading contenders to produce one.

The deal — the first of its kind for the Government — is subject to the vaccine successfully completing all clinical trials and passing regulatory approvals.

The amount would be enough for 750,000 people, and if all goes well in trials, it could even be ready to go early next year.

In a statement, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods said the vaccine, from Pfizer and BioNTech, was one option being considered, and there were likely to be more announcements next month.

‘‘Pfizer have said they are making good progress with the development of a Covid19 vaccine . . . Subject to clinical and regulatory success, and provided the vaccine is approved for use here in New Zealand by Medsafe, it is possible that some doses will be available to us in the first part of 2021.

‘‘The additional agreements will ensure that once the portfolio is completed, we will have sufficient Covid19 vaccines for the whole population.’’

The agreement comes as part of the Covid19 vaccine strategy, which also includes contributions to the global Covax Facility that could provide up to 50% of New Zealand’s needs.

‘‘A key aim . . . is to ensure we have flexibility and choice when it comes to securing the right vaccines for New Zealand and our Pacific neighbours,’’ Dr Woods said.

Decisions on who would receive access to the first available vaccines have yet to be made.

In a statement, Health Minister Chris Hipkins said several factors would influence that decision, including trial data on the suitability of each vaccine for certain ages groups.

He also said $66.3 million had been set aside for medical supplies and infrastructure needed to launch an immunisation programme ‘‘as soon as we have a safe and effective vaccine’’.

The majority of that investment would be to provide PPE, needles, syringes and swabs, and freezers to store a vaccine for New Zealand and Pacific countries, Mr Hipkins said.

µ There were no new cases of Covid19 in the country yesterday, the Ministry of Health announced.

The total number of confirmed cases remained at 1515. There were no additional recovered cases. — RNZ