If NZ had not delivered the 100,000 doses of the vaccine, we would have received our next batch later this month - Dr. Waqainabete

Minister for Health, Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete says if the New Zealand Government had not delivered the 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Fiji would have received the next batch of vaccines later this month.

While thanking the NZ Government after the arrival of the 100,000 doses, Dr Waqainabete says this comes at an important time for us as we have achieved 85% of first dose vaccination and with the ability now to reduce the time between doses, they want to fully vaccinate at least 80% of the population.

Dr Waqainabete says the 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines will boost the efforts of the vaccination team as more Fijians will have access to the vaccines which will help prevent hospitalizations and save lives.

New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Fiji, Jonathan Curr says vaccines are the key to achieving effective economic and social recovery and they have confidence in Fiji’s ability to meet its vaccination target.

Curr says vaccine supply has been a challenging issue for many countries and more international cooperation is needed to help countries resolve these issues.

Meanwhile, Spanish Charge de Affairs to Fiji, Ignacio Tapia Garcia has commended the Fijian Government's effort to vaccinate and encourages all Fijians to get vaccinated.

He says through the Spanish Government's programme called Vaccines For All and this handover, the idea of increasing production to ease logistics and put vaccines wherever they are most needed is possible. The New Zealand Government has procured the vaccines from the Spanish Government for it to be delivered to Fiji.