6. NEW ZEALAND

Doses administered......................................... 4,325,490 People fully vaccinated ................................... 1,462,725 Percentage of pop fully vaxxed........................ 29.75%

AFTER a snap lockdown made New Zealand one of the most restrictive countries in the world, the government has now lowered the alert level to Level 2 to allow schools, businesses and offices to reopen across most of the country.

The order did not apply to Auckland, where the country’s first Covid case in six months was detected in mid-august.

The city remains at Level 4 alert status until at least September 21. Auckland’s 36 days in Level 4 will be the longest stretch at that level, beating the original 2020 lockdown by two days.

For the rest of the country, restrictions were lifted on the number of people in “household bubbles”, travelling to work, and for in-person school classes.

Public transport, taxis, and domestic flights were also reopened, with people urged to use the NZ Covid Tracer app to track their movements.