New Zealand announces COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan

WELLINGTON - The New Zealand government is targeting those most at risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 and those most at risk of getting seriously sick from it in the next phase of the vaccine roll-out, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday.

"A top priority this year is to make sure New Zealanders get free, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines," Hipkins told a press conference.

"We are setting out the plan today after securing enough Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for everyone in New Zealand to get the two doses. They need to be fully vaccinated against the virus," Hipkins said.

"The Ministry of Health is working with Pfizer on a delivery schedule to ensure a smooth rollout and a scaling up of our vaccination program," he said.

Over 2 million New Zealanders are in line to start receiving the vaccine over the next four months with a focus on protecting those most at risk of getting the virus or being harmed by it, while also reducing the chance of ongoing spread and future outbreaks," Hipkins said.

The sequencing plan provides certainty to the over 2 million Kiwis who can expect to start being vaccinated during the initial stages of the roll-out over the next three to four months, he said.

"Every New Zealander will be able to get a vaccine and the vaccine will be free. The rest of the population will be able to be vaccinated from July onwards and our plan is to have as many people as possible vaccinated by the end of the year," he said.

New Zealand reported one case of COVID-19 in managed isolation on Wednesday, with no new cases in the community.

The imported case came from the United States and has remained in an Auckland-managed isolation facility, according to the Ministry of Health.

The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 80, and the total number of confirmed cases is 2,054, said a ministry statement.