NZ’s order for Covid-19 vaccine is ‘about right’

The quantity of Covid-19 vaccines ordered by New Zealand pales in comparison to many nations, but this could prove a wise and fair strategy, says epidemiologist Michael Baker.

International business analysis company Bloomberg is tracking the nine most promising Covid-19 vaccines around the world. By Bloomberg’s count, 7.95 billion doses have already been allotted.

That would be enough to cover more than half the world’s population if they were evenly distributed (most vaccines require two doses). But they won’t be evenly distributed, for reasons including cost and the ability to provide ultra-cold storage.

Some vaccines ordered have yet to be approved for public use.

Canada had ordered the highest number of vaccines, per head of population. It has ordered enough to cover nearly 154 million people: 410 per cent of its population, according to the Bloomberg tally.

Next highest is the UK, which ordered enough for 294 per cent of its population. Australia is third highest, having ordered enough to cover 230 per cent of its population.

Thirty-seven countries had ordered more doses than they needed for their population.

New Zealand is a long way down the list, having ordered enough to cover 999,000 people, or 20.3 per cent of our population.

The two vaccines ordered by New Zealand are made by Pfizer and Janssen. Pzifer’s product could be in the country as early as March and is a two-dose vaccine that would cover 750,000 people. Janssen’s requires just one injection but is not expected to get here until closer to September.

Health Minister Chris Hipkins has said the drugs would only be administered when proven to be safe and data from other trials across the world would be used to inform decision-making in New Zealand’s approval process.

Baker said it was intriguing that several countries had ordered ‘‘far more vaccines than they could possibly need’’.

‘‘Some countries will have ordered vaccines that won’t actually get delivered. My impression is that New Zealand has got the balance about right. One of the huge benefits of being in the situation we’re in is that we can choose the vaccines we’re going to get ... We don’t have the same pressure as those countries where the pandemic’s raging.’’

But it was hard to know the optimal strategy, he said. New Zealand’s may turn out to be ideal because we will have the benefit of knowing which vaccines are most effective. There was also the matter of showing ‘‘some sense of global responsibility in terms of the supply of vaccines to other countries that are needy and have fewer resources’’.