Kiwis who have been vaccinated for Covid-19 overseas still have to go through two weeks in managed isolation if they come home, at least for now, the Government says.
It comes as questions continue to mount about how a "vaccine passport" would work, and people continue to test positive for Covid-19 as they touch down in New Zealand, despite being required to do a pre-departure test.
Renee Mundy, a Kiwi in New York who has been vaccinated, told 1 NEWS she hoped for an announcement from the Government soon about vaccinated people being exempt from needing to isolate on arrival.
But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters today the Government was waiting for more international research about the extent vaccines could help prevent the virus’ spread before it made any decisions about quarantine requirements for returnees.
“When we talk about the effectiveness of the vaccine , what we are talking about is that it won't make you symptomatic by and large or it won't make you very, very unwell. That’s where the vaccines have been really successful.
“What we don’t know yet is the degree when you’ve been vaccinated you might still risk passing it on to others,” she said.
Otago University epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said early evidence showed people who were vaccinated for Covid-19 won’t pass on the virus.
But, scientists still weren't sure about how long the vaccine’s protection would last and how an international vaccine passport would work, Baker added.
“There are the real ethical issues we have to work through in terms of not creating an underclass of people who are not vaccinated and can't travel.”
It comes as the Ministry of Health reported 11 new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation today, despite returnees needing to prove they’ve tested negative for the virus within 72 hours of flying.
One case arrived on Friday from Italy via Singapore and tested positive in routine day one testing.
The remaining 10 cases arrived into New Zealand on the same flight from India via the United Arab Emirates on Saturday and tested positive on arrival in New Zealand.
Figures released to 1 NEWS showed of the 137 Covid-19 cases that have been detected on day zero or day one testing since the rules came in, nearly half have come from India. The next highest was from the US with 14 cases.
Baker said there were concerns people could be falsifying laboratory test results now that the requirement existed to travel to New Zealand.
But, Ardern said the Government hadn’t seen evidence of fraud, and people could still come into contact with Covid-19 after their pre-departure test.
She said New Zealand had “never relied” on pre-departure testing anyway to make sure Covid-19 was kept out of the community.
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