garethwm

Yep. Early on New Zealand chose Pfizer because of the problems that Astra Zeneca were having with blood clots and because of a better effectiveness. From that point we were always going to be dependent on the supply. Pfizer had different priorities than little old NZ I guess..
As for NZ just opening up and letting it rip, that's just crazy. It would be carnage at this point with vaccinations still low and us not having a great ICU capacity. It might be ok for Boris and the UK to accept 1000 deaths a week in exchange for living like it's 2019 (except it's not) but it would never fly politically in NZ. Also no one knows what's going to happen now that winters approaching there. Fingers crossed.
I'd prefer to hang on as long as we can before letting the thing loose. There's some promising developments in regards treatment drugs, according to someone Jim Mora interviewed on Radio NZ this morning, and also a 3rd booster jab of vaccine looks like it might boost immunity even further. I think if we choose the waiting game, we might come out of it comparatively better than others. Hope so, but nobody knows.

BEVS

.....or the little matter of actually having the vaccine in the country and then being able to properly store & distribute that.

It comes in shipments donchta know , not in one monstrous lump.

escapedtonz

Yup.
The Mrs will start giving them out tomorrow as the practice where she works just been approved as a Covid vaccinator.
The protocol surrounding the use of the vaccine is a logistical nightmare. Has to be delivered at like -22deg C then once removed from cold storage so it can be mixed with saline its shelf life starts to deteriorate immediately. Each ampule allows 6 x vaccine shots when mixed with the correct dose of saline. It then has to be refrigerated and used within summat like 36hrs or it goes in the bin....at $35 a pop.

Timmy Chch

Chris Hipkins said mid nov 2020 nz would be "front of the queue" but changed plan early march 2021 to be only Pfizer (not a bit Pfizer and mostly Moderna). So this isn't Pfizers choosing 'little' nz to be last, it signed up last so front becomes back of the queue. Australia did produce a fair bit of AZ for themselves to be fair.

Charismatic

When I weigh the pros and cons I just can't justify protracting reopening. By November we should have largely achieved our initial objective which was to allow everyone to be vaccinated prior to reopening borders. This will have saved many lives, particularly among older age demographics. Despite the slow rollout vaccine uptake had been strong with demand out-pacing supply.

The pandemic will end, they always do and this one looks like it will just become another endemic virus among thousands of others.

My hope is that this lockdown is our last one and the next time community cases are recorded everyone who wants to be vaccinated has had the opportunity.

jarv5116

I was reading on the news today they are going run out of vaccines in the next couple of weeks if they keep vaccinated at the same rate as they are now. They cant go any faster with the slow supply.
looks like NSW are ready for giving up on the zero policy.
I think its going be carnage when it rips through south Auckland with 80% vaccinated or not. with the % of islanders and Asians.
Islanders and Asians immune systems aren't as strong.

Charismatic

The supply schedule was set by government with BioNTech/Pfizer, they argued that they wanted staggered delivery. I think the shelf life is 6 months when stored at very low temperatures but only a month at normal refrigeration temperatures.
​​​​​​
I hope it won't "rip through" Auckland before the vaccine rollout has made more progress. Even the most vulnerable half if the population would prevent most deaths.

Pom_Chch

Wait, what? Care to elaborate?

Timmy Chch

https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/healt...d--and-younger
says NZ Medical Journal

jarv5116

It's fact.
There immune systems aren't is strong. think it's cause the majority of islanders are like first gen of the islands and haven't had the exposure to normal colds and infections ect as Europeans.
Take it you ain't worked with many islanders or that.
They usually fooked when they get a cold. 20 year olds limping round with gout. plus they have alot under laying health conditions

Pom_Chch

And Asian people? Do you mean Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean?

BEVS

*sigh* Wrong again.

Pom_Chch

I'm thinking do I even reply? But I've got a bit of free time at the moment 🤣

jarv5116

Na sorry im back to British terminology.
Asian is Indian and Pakistanis. don't know why never looked into it but its fact that you are x amount of time more likely to be hospitalised been Asian race.
The race your own about are south east Asian in this part of the world.

Why do you think the islanders and South Auckland politicians are despirate for the vaccines to get prioritised to South Auckland cause of the colour of there skin like?

Same with there cultures differences and the way they live it would be a absoulte nightmare.

Justcol

For socio economic reasons,nothing to do with anything else.😂🤣😅