Focus Live: Dr Ashley Bloomfield on the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out plan
New Zealand will donate more than 1.6 million Covid-19 doses through an international vaccine sharing programme, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has revealed.
This is enough to vaccinate 800,000 people – many of whom will be health workers and vulnerable people in the Pacific.
She made the announcement at the GaviCovax event this morning (NZ time), where she was the first world leader to make a pledge.
"In New Zealand, we have been tackling Covid-19 collectively, as the team of 5 million," she said in a pre-prepared video.
"Now we need to act globally as the team of 7.8 billion."
There are few other details at this stage – media were given a link to her video and a number of key points just before 5pm today.
But in early March, Ardern and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said any surplus vaccines New Zealand had would be donated "across our wider portfolio to the Pacific and developing countries worldwide".
"We are committed to ensuring that any doses not needed here are put to good use elsewhere," Hipkins said at the time.