Thames-Coromandel Mayor Sandra Goudie says she has no intention of getting the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine. Photo / NZME
Thames-Coromandel Mayor Sandra Goudie says she has no intention of getting the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine. Photo / NZME
The mayor of Thames-Coromandel who was "waiting for the Novavax" jab says she won't be getting that Covid-19 vaccine either.
The country's medicines regulator Medsafe provisionally approved Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine today and ministers will now review Ministry of Health advice on whether to use the two-dose vaccine in New Zealand.
The Government has agreed to buy 10.72 million doses of the vaccine.
Medsafe group manager Chris James says the body only approves a vaccine or medicine for use in New Zealand once it is satisfied it has met acceptable standards for quality, safety and efficacy.
Thames-Coromandel Mayor Sandra Goudie, during controversy over her position on vaccines, said last year that she had made her stance on the Covid jab clear.
"I'm not taking the Pfizer vaccine, that I will wait for the Novavax because I have that personal choice and everybody has that personal choice," she told Newstalk ZB in October.
However, today she told the Herald that she would not be getting the Novavax vaccine either.
University of Auckland vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris said it was great to see more options available with the approval of the Novavax vaccine.
"The [vaccines have] been designed to be as safe as possible and ... so far the Pfizer vaccine has demonstrated that very clearly in billions of people."
There is less data available on Novavax so far than there was for the Pfizer vaccine, Petousis-Harris said.
"This vaccine [Novavax] has yet to demonstrate the same level of effectiveness and safety profile for rare events. But so far, looking at it it's very good."
Petousis-Harris said it was "getting boosted" that was really going to help with Omicron.
Helen Petousis-Harris, vaccinologist and associate professor in the Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care at the University of Auckland. Photo / Supplied
"The two doses is useful for keeping people out of hospital but nowhere near as good as a booster as well and also it's not very good at preventing people from getting the infection.
"The booster is making the big difference because it is expanding on immunity that's matured to become better at targeting the variants which take time."
Goudie today repeated her opposition to vaccine mandates, which legally requires large chunks of New Zealand's workforce to get the jab.
"Why people think that is okay ... defies my case for people being considerate for each other," she said of the mandates.
Last week, Goudie chaired her first meeting remotely because she didn't have a vaccine pass.
Additionally, the Thames-Coromandel District Council also last week amended its vaccination policy so certain employees could attend critical meetings at the council.
The softened policy allowed unvaccinated workers, including staff, contractors and elected members who provide a negative Rapid Antigen Test result within 72 hours of the meeting time to attend.
At the time, Goudie hadn't sought advice as to whether the monthly council meetings would meet the critical criteria, but said: "I wouldn't imagine so."
Alongside the Pfizer and Novavax vaccines, Medsafe has also provisionally approved AstraZeneca, which is available now, and the Janssen vaccine, but no decisions have been made for the latter's use.
The Ministry of Health announced this afternoon that 90 per cent of eligible Māori across Aotearoa had now received their first dose of the vaccine.
Overall, 96 per cent of those eligible have had one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, 94 per cent had received two and, for those due their booster, 71 per cent had received it.
Meanwhile, today has been the first opportunity for an estimated one million people in New Zealand to take advantage of the shortened timeframe between their second vaccine jab and the booster shot.
Announced earlier this week, the period has been shortened from four months to three months with the change coming into effect today.
The ministry said with Omicron in the country, the best thing a person could do was get their booster as soon as it was due.
"Boosters lower your chances of getting very sick and being hospitalised. Being boosted also helps slow the spread of the virus," it said in a statement.
"If you're over 18 and your booster is due, please get it now."
