Second Covid-19 vaccine goes to MedSafe for approval

Dr Ashley Bloomfield says an online dashboard will be updated each Wednesday to New Zealanders know how many vaccines have been given.

The next Covid-19 vaccine in line for approval is the Janssen vaccination, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced today. 

The country's medical regulator, Medsafe, is set to begin the process on Tuesday. 

Bloomfield said he anticipated advice for use of the vaccine would be provided two days later. Once advice is received, sign-off must be sought from a ministerial group. 

New Zealand has a pre-purchase agreement with Janssen for five million doses. 

If approved, it would be New Zealand's second type of Covid-19 vaccine to be used. 

So far, 90,286 people in New Zealand have been vaccinated. 

The Government is promising thousands of jabs a day but the opposition says there's no sign the pace is picking up.

Eighty-six applications have been received for urgent vaccination for travel for national significance, and all have been approved. Bloomfield said the majority were Olympians. 

Twenty-three applications for urgent vaccinations for compassionate reasons had been approved, with 41 applications made. 

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