Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says he won't be setting a target for the number of vaccinated Kiwis that is anywhere below everyone who is eligible getting the jab.
His comments come as new modelling released this morning shows 97 per cent of New Zealand's population will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to protect the country from the spread of new, more infectious variants.
The research by Te Pūnaha Matatini scientists found that the number of Covid-related hospitalisations and deaths would drop significantly once 75-80 per cent of people are vaccinated , however reaching herd immunity against more infectious variants would require a much higher vaccination rate.
But given the Pfizer vaccine is still only approved for New Zealanders aged 12 and over, vaccinating 97 per cent of the population is not currently possible.
When asked on Breakfast this morning what the Government's target is, Hipkins said he wouldn't set a target which is anything lower than everybody who is eligible to get the jab.
"That's what we have to strive for, we have to strive for everybody saying yes to the vaccine and that's what I'm aiming for," he said.
The study comes as New Zealand's Covid vaccine supplies drop rapidly ahead of our next delivery on Tuesday.
Around 30,000 doses of the Pfizer jab are left, however, supply is expected to run out within the next seven days , meaning New Zealand's vaccine levels could drop to almost zero at some point.
Hipkins told Breakfast this morning, though, that Pfizer was in contact with him every day and on track to meet Tuesday's delivery.
"Yep, we're gonna cut it pretty fine," he said. "So by next Tuesday when we get our next delivery, which will be a bigger delivery, we're going to be running it very fine."
Hipkins admitted it was a "considered risk" to keep vaccinating with speed despite the shortages.
"We made the decision to keep going at full pace to get to this point where we've run down our stocks because rather do that than have the vaccine sitting in a freezer somewhere.
"We could have made a decision, sort of, three or four weeks ago to say 'let's just slow down a little bit so that we always have a day or twos supply in the freezer in the event that something happens'. We made the decision not to do that on the basis that actually vaccines sitting in freezers somewhere aren't providing any protection to anybody."
Watch Chris Hipkins' full Breakfast interview below:
New modelling shows 97 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated for herd immunity against the more infectious variants of Covid-19. (Source: Other)
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