NZ donates vaccine

THE 146,000 doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine from the New Zealand government through the Covax facility arrived in Port Moresby yesterday.
New Zealand High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea Phillip Taula said: “As whanaunga, friends, and partners, Aotearoa New Zealand stands alongside the Pacific at this difficult time.
“PNG’s success in tackling the Covid-19 has been hard-won at an enormous cost to your economy and livelihoods.
“New Zealand is proud to be partnering with PNG to help us all get through this.”
Through the Covax facility, New Zealand is providing protection to 1.2 million people across the Pacific.
“New Zealand’s Covax shipment to PNG is among the first in the Pacific,” he said.
“New Zealand will also be providing NZ$3 million (K7.5mil) to support PNG’s national deployment and vaccination plan, as requested by the PNG Government, in partnership with Unicef.”
Taula said despite strong efforts to manage the Covid-19, PNG’s economy had been impacted.
He said the economic disruption affecting many countries in the Pacific was unprecedented.
“We all benefit from a vaccinated world,” he said.
“Access to safe and effective vaccines for PNG will protect communities and help our people to reconnect.”
Deputy Controller of the Pandemic Response Dr Daoni Esorom, thanked the government and people of New Zealand for the donation.
“These 146,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccines will greatly help the National Department of Health and National Control Centre to rollout the second dose for the front line health workers and other essential front line workers,” he said..
Dr Esorom highlighted the fact that PNG would be receiving 20 per cent of the quantity of the vaccines from the Covax facility, while the Australian and New Zealand governments would be supporting additional doses to the national government.
“All of these doses will enable the government of PNG to vaccinate 50 per cent of its population, who are eligible for this vaccine,” he said.