Vaccine manufacture

Wellington: As vaccine delays threaten to disrupt the Covid19 response in Europe, attention is turning to whether New Zealand could manufacture one.

PfizerBioNTech and AstraZeneca have both warned of possible delays as the European Union places new rules on exports to countries outside the bloc.

Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand clinical director Dr Frances Priddy said investigations into manufacturing here were under way.

‘‘We are working with manufacturers to understand which types of Covid vaccines could be manufactured here, and we’re making some progress,’’ she said. — RNZ