New Zealand will only use the Pfizer vaccine to immunize its population against coronavirus, changing its previous plans to use four different drugs.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the strategy on Monday, saying it was due to the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. It will be easier and fairer for all New Zealanders to have access to the same vaccine, he said.
However, the plan may also be partly due to delays in vaccine authorization. So far, New Zealand health authorities have only approved the Pfizer vaccine and are considering two other options.
New Zealand bought 10 million doses of vaccine from Pfizer, enough to inoculate 5 million people in the country with the two doses needed. Most doses are expected to arrive in New Zealand in the second half of the year, the president added.
To date, New Zealand has vaccinated only a few thousand people, most of them border workers. The country has eliminated local virus infections, and vaccinations are not considered as urgent as in other countries.