Four tests.
That is the number of tests that it took on two separate occasions to confirm the two latest Covid-19 positive cases – referred to as case D (mother of a Covid-19 positive child) and another Pullman returnee in Hamilton.
In the example of case D, the mother, all four tests were done over one week, between 27th January and 2nd of February. Her test on 2nd February came back positive just one day after a prior negative result.
How much confidence does this give to people who have been in queues for hours to get tested? It is not that the RT-PCR technique per se is not the right technique, but there are a lot of other factors that can result in false negatives.
Now imagine if we had vaccination happening at the same rate as other countries. We wouldn’t need to be constantly told that the system is working well, as we were at the afternoon press conferences when these new cases were reported.
We have heard the argument again and again that we don’t have people dying from Covid-19 like in other countries, so it is fine that other nations are getting vaccines first.
Really?
Is sitting back the way to prove that we are helpful to the rest of the global community or is it just a cover up for the Government’s inability to secure a vaccine or even get a firm date of its arrival?
That announcement of production of up to 100 million doses here in New Zealand, a lot more than we would need, made New Zealander’s feel the Government was making a serious effort to be a part of the global fight against Covid-19. This had potential to be a strong global commitment that would help countless people.
Just before last year’s general election, a few weeks out from the start of advance voting, the Government announced allocation of funding to access vaccines when they became available. It was said that the funding was in the order of “hundreds of millions” of dollars and that the details could not be revealed because of commercial sensitivity.
But what sounded grandiose was not just the assurance to New Zealand voters of access to vaccines as soon as they become available but also the hope of New Zealand manufacturing up to 100 million doses locally to support us and others.
That announcement of production of up to 100 million doses here in New Zealand, a lot more than we would need, made New Zealanders feel the Government was making a serious effort to be a part of the global fight against Covid-19. This had potential to be a strong global commitment that would help countless people.
Since then not much other than further reassurance has happened with vaccine supply despite millions of people now already vaccinated all around the world. But what about the hope that was given regarding New Zealand playing an active part in scaling-up a vaccine here?
It was that part which made New Zealanders feel we were so ahead of the game and genuinely doing our part. Not just that, it also gave fresh hope to New Zealand scientists despite all of their previous calls being dismissed.
But, when it came to put words into actions, we have been met with nothing but a sit back approach and inaction.
Instead of just putting pressure on the supplies being produced elsewhere, look right here at our talented scientists at home. This is a disease that has killed more than 2 million people worldwide in just over a year. We need to look beyond the three yearly election cycle and play our part.
Remember last year after months of repeated pleas from the local scientific community, pushing the Government to act and provide funding to start vaccine research and development work here in New Zealand, they were given a token amount to tick that box – just $10 million.
The $25 million announced in May last year for innovative solutions in response to Covid-19 inexplicably came at the cost of another science funding round, the Smart Ideas Fund. The money was taken from the very sector that needed it the most to come up with the ways to help the global effort develop a vaccine.
The fears of our scientists were real – they warned the Government that we must not rely on other countries to do the work as we will be in the queue of 7.6 billion people and countries manufacturing them will try to vaccinate their own people first.
We can get disappointed with the EU in regards to the vaccine export restrictions and express that disappointment however we want, but the reality is that just sitting back is simply not enough. The hard truth is that despite having multiple vaccine purchase agreements, New Zealand is still being left far behind other developed and developing nations.
Where to now?
We are experiencing an unsettled Covid-19. The recent highly transmissible strains have luckily not been deadly but we can’t assume that will stay the same. And as the immunity imparted by infections and various vaccines is still an evolving knowledge, it is possible that we will have to be in the queue not just for this round of vaccines but possibly more than once each year.
One-off herd immunity achieved through a first effective inoculation, one or two doses as required, should not be our goal. It should be to continue the “herd immunity status” but we don’t yet know how long any immunity through the available vaccines will last. It might be more than once a year process to continue the herd immunity status.
New Zealand not being able to have any vaccines is our loss, not anyone’s gain, and to project it as a helpful gesture is flawed.
Let’s replicate a vaccine in New Zealand.
We will become a better global citizen, not by keeping ourselves behind in the queue but by becoming a part of the global force producing vaccines by getting an agreement to replicate a vaccine here.
Instead of just putting pressure on the supplies being produced elsewhere, look right here at our talented scientists at home. This is a disease that has killed more than 2 million people worldwide in just over a year. We need to look beyond the three yearly election cycle and play our part.
To contribute – not just sit back, but get into it now.
