The New Zealand High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, Phillip Taula, has welcomed the delivery of 146,000 AstraZeneca vaccines for PNG through the COVAX facility.
“As friends and partners, Aotearoa New Zealand stands alongside the Pacific at this difficult time.
“PNG’s success in tackling COVID-19 has been hard-won at an enormous cost to your economy and livelihoods,” he stated.
“New Zealand is proud to be partnering with PNG to help us all get through this.”
Through the COVAX facility, New Zealand is providing protection to 1.2 million people across the Pacific. New Zealand’s first shipment of vaccines for PNG arrived recently.
“The PNG Government thanks the government and people of New Zealand for providing additional AstraZeneca doses through the COVAX facility as part of their dose sharing mechanism,” stated Health Secretary, Dr Osbourne Liko.
“These gifted doses will boost PNG’s vaccination program and ensure that more people, including essential frontline workers, will be protected.
“These doses will ensure more lives are saved and that frontline workers can continue to provide essential services to the people of Papua New Guinea.”
Deputy Controller of COVID-19 Pandemic Response, Dr Daoni Esorom, said: “These 146,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines will help the Department of Health and National Control Centre to rollout the 2nd dose for the frontline health workers and other essential frontline workers.”
He highlighted the fact that PNG will be receiving 20 percent of the quantity of the vaccines from the COVAX facility, while the Australian and New Zealand governments will be supporting additional doses to the Government of PNG.
New Zealand’s COVAX shipment to PNG is among the first in the Pacific. In addition, New Zealand will be providing enough vaccines to cover Tokelau, the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tuvalu and Tonga.
This is in addition to $120 million of official development assistance previously announced by New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta, to help build resilience in Pacific economies.
“New Zealand will also be providing NZD$ 3 million to support PNG’s National Deployment and Vaccination plan, as requested by the PNG Government, in partnership with UNICEF,” said HC Taula.
“Despite strong efforts to manage COVID-19, PNG’s economy has been impacted in multiple ways. The economic disruption affecting many countries in the Pacific is unprecedented.
“We all benefit from a vaccinated world. Access to safe and effective vaccines for PNG will protect communities, and help our people to reconnect.”