PM will get jab before public rollout

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she will get vaccinated before the rollout to the public in the middle of the year, which could allow her to travel overseas again.

Some leaders — including Australia’s PM Scott Morrison — were among the first to get vaccines, saying it was important to show the public they were confident in their safety.

But Ardern said it was more important that New Zealand’s limited initial stock went to those who needed it most: the workers at the border and in managed isolation facilities.

“It didn’t feel right to me to be in that [first] cohort, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to wait until the middle of the year either.

“I haven’t quite decided when it will be. There’s a balance for me, and being among the first didn’t feel right.”

Going ahead of the public rollout would help set an example: Ardern has said skepticism about the vaccine is one of the biggest challenges for the rollout.

However, a vaccine will potentially allow Ardern to travel overseas.

Ardern said the first trips would be trade-related, trying to get more momentum in negotiations with the EU and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States where new President Joe Biden presented opportunities for New Zealand.

The timing and order of any trips would depend on how easy it was to fly. However, global leaders are working on a “vaccine passport” to try to open up travel again.

Last week, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said some Cabinet ministers would also get earlier vaccines, such as those whose portfolios related to Covid-19 such as Customs and Health.