COVID-19 Vaccine February 12, 2021 Listen The New Zealand government has formally approved the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in New Zealand and endorsed the COVID-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group’s ‘decision to use’ recommendations. The recommendations are, that: the vaccine is suitable for use in New Zealand for people 16 years of age and overvaccine use for people under 16 may be reconsidered when more clinical data is available.information will be provided around expected common side effects, for example fever, muscle pain and fatigue.a 30-minute observation period is required after the vaccine has been administered.patients receiving specific therapies, including Keytruda, Opdivo, Yervoy and Tecentriq should not receive the vaccine.pregnant women are advised to discuss the risks and benefit of receiving the vaccine with their doctor.the vaccine is suitable for use in lactating women. New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccine information campaign will start next week. Work is underway to develop a comprehensive new National Immunisation Solution (NIS). The NIS will be able to provide proof of vaccination for COVID-19 and confirm vaccination history with a goal to enable the public to digitally access their own vaccination records. Key things people should know: the vaccine is free and at no point will you ever be asked to pay for securing your place in the “vaccination queue.”all communications about the vaccine programme will come from the Ministry of Health, the Unite Against COVID-19 website: www.covid19.govt.nz and other health sources.emails requesting financial and or personal details in regards to vaccination is likely to be a scam. The best way you can help stop these scams if to report them to CERT NZ via their website: www.cert.govt.nzCollateral and resources for border workers and agencies with information about the vaccine rollout are being developed. For more information: Unite against Covid-19
