Covid-19: We’re a year into NZ’s vaccine roll-out now what? – Stuff.co.nz

A little over a year ago, New Zealand and much of the world was waiting for a vaccine to spell the beginning of the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

February 20 marks one year since Aotearoas vaccination programme began in earnest, rolling out first to border and managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) workers though technically the first 25 doses, to vaccinators themselves, were given the day before.

Authorities were initially hesitant to put a target on vaccination, but in January 2021, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said he hoped at least 70 per cent of Kiwis would be vaccinated.

In the year since, more than 10.1 million doses, including boosters, have been given, meaning 96 per cent of eligible people partially-immunised, and 95 per cent fully vaccinated.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff

Sunday marks a year since New Zealands Covid-19 vaccine roll-out began XX per cent of eligible Kiwis are now fully vaccinated.

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The roll-out for 5- to 11-year-olds has seen 47 per cent of eligible children vaccinated in little over a month, and 65 per cent of eligible New Zealanders have now been boosted.

However, inequities in access and coverage for minority groups, particularly Mori, have been seen in the adult and paediatric roll-outs; so too has a disparity in uptake in urban and rural parts of the country.

A lot has happened in the span of a year. But what about going forward? Will we need boosters forever?

Immunisation Advisory Centre director Dr Nikki Turner thinks the most likely situation will be that many people, particularly young people with healthy immune systems, may need no further boosters.

Just a handful of countries are giving a fourth dose, mainly to their most vulnerable populations, including Cambodia, Chile, Denmark, Israel and Sweden.

Preliminary data from Israel on people aged over 60 suggested a fourth dose at least four months after a third shot revived antibody levels, doubled resistance against Omicron infection and tripled protection against hospitalisations, compared with only three shots, Nature journal reported.

Auckland University

Auckland University director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre, Dr Nikki Turner.

However, that article raised concerns that as protection from boosters might be short-lived, rolling out endless doses, potentially at the expense of immunising unvaccinated people in low-income nations, was not a viable or long-term global strategy.

Vaccinologist Associate Professor Helen Petousis-Harris did not envisage a future of endless boosters.

As the world became increasingly resistant to Covid-19 and its variants, it was more likely going to become a matter of keeping people who were most at risk such as senior citizens boosted, or targeting the most common variants, she said.

Immunologist Professor Graham Le Gros agreed regular boosting with current vaccines was not the best long-term strategy, noting major efforts were under way to develop a vaccine to target all variants.

As the world developed more immunity to Covid-19 either from disease or vaccination, or both the need for ongoing boosters lessened, Turner said.

While there was evidence antibody immunity waned over time, people still had cellular memory and protection against severe disease if later exposed, she said.

However, if SARS-CoV-2 mutated in a way that evaded protection offered by current vaccines, people might need a further booster, or multiple further boosters.

If immunity needed to be boosted more often, we could be looking at a situation like with influenza, where an annual vaccination is given for different circulating strains, she said.

Current vaccines still appeared effective against severe disease from variants coming through, Turner said: Youd need a significant variant to see a lot of escape.

Hospitalisations, ICU admissions and death rates would be key measures of how well vaccines were working, Turner said.

If there was a rise in any of those in the coming months or even years, further boosters might be needed.

However, if the disease burden was looking mild, the argument for repeat boosters reduced.

Turner said it was important people understood there was a strategic plan to vaccination: getting vaccinated was not now about eliminating Covid-19, it was about protecting people against severe disease and minimising its impact.

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Covid-19: We're a year into NZ's vaccine roll-out now what? - Stuff.co.nz