
New Zealand is buying an extra 500,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from Denmark. The attempt comes in as the country tries to keep its coronavirus vaccination program running at full speed, the government said.
The doses are on top of New Zealand’s regular shipments from Pfizer and come a few days after officials announced a similar deal with Spain for more than 250,000 extra doses.
New Zealand reported 20 locally acquired COVID-19 cases in Auckland on Sunday.
The latest outbreak totals 599 infections since the first case was detected in late August.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the vaccine will arrive within days.
In an email, she wrote, "There is now more than enough vaccine in the country to vaccinate at the world leading rates we were hitting earlier in the month, and I strongly encourage every New Zealander not yet vaccinated to do so as soon as possible."
The government has been attempting to eliminate the virus in Auckland by imposing a lockdown.
About 54 per cent of people in New Zealand have had at least one dose and 28 per cent are fully vaccinated.