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What you need to know as New Zealand begins rollout of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine

February 19, 2021

Immunisation experts Dr Anthony Jordan and Dr Maia Brewerton explain how the jab works.

New Zealand’s Covid-19 vaccination programme begins today, with 100 vaccinators getting the jab themselves ahead of tomorrow’s rollout to frontline border staff and MIQ workers. 

Not everyone is keen to get a Covid-19 jab, however, with about a quarter of Kiwis saying they would not get vaccinated according to some polls .*

But clinical immunologist Dr Maia Brewerton said she is “not surprised” about the statistic. 

“We hope that we can improve them by … perhaps giving people the information that they need to help make that decision or change that decision.”

People should “be careful” about where they get their information from, and should rely on trusted sources like the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, she said. 

Clinical immunologist Dr Anthony Jordan said people who have not yet decided whether or not they will get the Covid-19 vaccine will be “influential” in determining whether New Zealand can achieve herd immunity. 

The pair appeared on Breakfast this morning to explain how the vaccine works and how herd immunity can help protect vulnerable people who can’t get inoculated against Covid-19. 

Watch their full interview in the video above. 

* An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that a higher proportion of poll respondents have said they will not get the vaccination. We apologise for the error.

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