Covid-19 coronavirus: Vaccine roll out starts in some parts of the Pacific

BioNTech and as a consequence Pfizer’s mRNA coronavirus vaccine. Shot / Supplied

By means of Sela Hopgood of RNZ

Covid-19 vaccinations begin in the Northern Mariana Islands this kind of weekend, but it’s not yet very clear when other Pacific countries end up having access to a vaccine.

The Northern Marianas, it is a US territory, was expecting lima, 000 doses of The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to arrive during the week, but vaccinations to start today, RNZ Pacific cycles correspondent Mark Rabago said.

The vaccine used already been approved in the USA and THE UNITED KINGDOM. It must be stored at around -70C, and transported in special box, packed in dry ice.

Once delivered, its kept for up to five days in a freezer.

“A couple of weeks dead our government purchased and realised 10 ultra cold freezers. All the freezers we ordered came from To the south Korea, and we have two transport to Tinian and Rota and the duration will be used in Saipan, ” Rabago said.

The land had already been sent a “mock package” of the vaccine as a basic, from the US federal government, to test your systems they had in place to transport associated with store it, which went basically, he said.

“There is a first-priority group that will be given the vaccine first and they are the healthcare workers, first responders, high-risk these and seniors. ”

Congressman and Northern Mariana Islander Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, had volunteered to be injected in public, and the governor Ralph Deleon Revoltoso Torres also said he and his family were available to be vaccinated to demonstrate confidence in the vaccine, understand were asked to.

New Zealand offers vaccines to six Pacific countries

New Zealand has agreements in place to secure enough vaccines to vaccinate everyone in the country, including everyone in Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Niue, and the Cook Hawaiian islands, if the governments of those countries admit the offer.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern undertaken the announcement this week, saying that whether the vaccines are proven to be safe and effective, then comes the government’s first priority will be to vaccinate border workers, essential staff and the household contacts.

The arrangements are for 750, 000 courses of vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech, 5m from Janssen, 3. 8m from AstraZeneca and 5. 36m from Novava.

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And Minister for Foreign Nearness Nanaia Mahuta said $75 100 thousands of development assistance had been find a way to to support global access to the vaccines, and roll-out.

That included a $10m aum?ne to the COVAX programme, aiming to make available vaccinations to countries that might in any other case struggle to afford it.

COVAX is co-led by the World Health Organisation and Gavi, and alliance of governments, medication companies, charities and aid companies. It aims to deliver two million vaccine doses by the end of next year, which could be provided to 20 percent of the most vulnerable people in 91 countries.

That programme relies on cheaper vaccines the fact haven’t been approved yet, in placed of frontrunners like the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, and while it has non-binding reference agreements with three major vaccine developers, all have had significant product delays.

Solomon Islands seeks vaccines for big its population

The Solomon Islands had went for enough vaccines for about half ones own population through the COVAX programme, considered Solomons Ministry of Health representative Pauline McNeil.

An application was made for more than 360, thousand people, and if successful, this would be co-financed by the Solomon Islands Government.

“[We’ve] conducted a national cold cycle capacity assessment, to check the reachable vaccine storage capacity, and identified holes to be addressed prior to receiving Covid vaccine, ” McNeil said.

The country has also developed a coordinating committee and computer working group, which were being maintained technical advisors at the World Overall health Organisation, UNICEF and the World Bank.

Tonga using through WHO plan

Tongan Ministry of Health and wellness chief executive Dr Siale ‘Akauola reported the country had been working with development companions “for a long time” to prepare for putting up this vaccines.

The kingdom had also applied to COVAC when vaccines, and was awaiting something in return.

“We act as conscious of the efforts by virtually countries to get their population vaccinated, ” ‘Akauola said.

“The Pfizer vaccine is a seriously high tech vaccine that requires a very more experienced way of cooling them and I think the game maybe beyond the capacity of Tongada to use that type of vaccine, sadly we will continue to watch and strategize what’s best for Tonga. ”

Authorities were managing through a plan developed by WHO in addition UNICEF to help countries roll out those vaccine, and it was being developed modified the Tongan needs.

– RNZ