Covid-19: First batch of vaccines given in New Zealand, 25 healthcare workers get jabs

First batch of COVID-19 Vaccines are being administered at Auckland’s quarantine facility, marking the “beginning of the end of the pandemic in New Zealand.”

25 medical professionals first in the country Vaccinated Friday afternoon. They also practiced vaccination.

These healthcare professionals will be at the forefront of vaccination deployment and will vaccinate border workers from Saturday.

They received Vaccine in a closed room At a quarantine facility in Auckland Jet Park Hotel..

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Police officers on the scene said the vaccine had been taken to a courier van facility where it was seen passing through the gate just before 2 pm on Friday. The van was escorted by an Allied guard vehicle.

The media was unable to attend the vaccination event, and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins cites strict infection prevention and control measures.

“Our commissioning at the Auckland Quarantine Facility today confirmed that our process and system were ready before tomorrow’s first official day vaccination border and MIQ workers.” Health Director Dr. Ashley Bloomfield said on Friday night.

“Today, we have vaccinated 25 Auckland-based vaccinated people. These vaccinated people will start vaccination of borders and MIQ staff with the Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine from tomorrow.”

According to Bloomfield, two teams were involved in the test run.

“This is the first time we have used this vaccine and it is the first vaccine that requires ultra-cold storage, so it is important to check and fine-tune the process and give vaccinated people the opportunity to handle the vaccine.”

Jet Park workers will be vaccinated on Saturday.

The vaccination program will be rolled out in Wellington on Monday and in Christchurch on Wednesday.

“We are confident that we are ready for tomorrow’s deployment. This is an important milestone in the fight against Covid-19 in New Zealand,” Bloomfield said.

“It will take a year to deploy a vaccination program across Aotearoa. It’s not the first competition, but we promise to give everyone in New Zealand safe and timely access to the Covid-19 vaccine. To do.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that the government plans to vaccinate 12,000 border workers within a few weeks.

The next group to be vaccinated after border workers is the contact information for their families.

The· Pfizer / BioNTech Vaccine is Only approved vaccine In New Zealand.

Helen Petousis-Harris, an associate professor at the University of Auckland and a vaccine scholar, said he was “extremely excited” about the development.

“As we get to know it, it marks the beginning of the end of the pandemic in New Zealand.”

Vaccination of border workers and their close contact provide an “additional barrier” to viruses that invade the community, she said.

“It’s not time to relax our vigilance. Vaccination is an additional tool at this time, such as keeping a distance on the mask.

“We can only relax our vigilance if we have achieved vaccination of the majority of our team’s 5 million people and the threat of Covid-19 has been significantly reduced.”

Petousis-Harris said the results of Pfizer vaccines abroad are “very promising.”

For example, Israel has been “crazy vaccinated” for seven weeks and estimates that 94% of infections were prevented in the vaccinated group when compared to the unvaccinated group.

“It is worth noting that there is clear evidence that the vaccine is very effective in this important group, as most people vaccinated in Israel are elderly.”

The vaccine requires two doses and immunity peaks in four weeks.

James Asher, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Otago, said it was “encouraging” to see the start of the vaccination program.

“This vaccine has been rigorously tested for safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy. Tens of thousands of people around the world are volunteering to participate in clinical trials, and we thank them. I mean, “he said.

“In addition, the vaccine is currently being delivered to millions of people around the world, confirming its safety.

“The general public must have all the confidence in the vaccine development process for this vaccine. The rigor of that process has been confirmed by a strong evaluation by Medsafe.”