COVID-19 vaccination programme to cost NZ $1.4 billion

The COVID vaccine roll-out is costing the New Zealand government $1.4 billion, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has revealed.

The government has revealed the direct cost of the vaccination for the first time, which will be spread over two years.

Nearly a billion dollars has been set aside for the vaccines themselves, as well as the specialist equipment needed to deliver them.

That includes vaccines the country has not got yet - and may never use - but New Zealand has advanced purchase agreements.

The minister said it had purchased enough to support the Pacific roll-out and any leftovers can be used later.

About $400 million will be used for technology, and for funding the district health boards and Medsafe.

As of midnight last night there have been 474,435 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine delivered across NZ - that's an increase of more than 80,000 on last week, Hipkins says.

In the latest media conference this afternoon, Hipkins said more than 152,000 people have received their second dose of the vaccine, meaning that they are getting the maximum protection.

More than 14,000 doses were delivered yesterday.

Hipkins said they expected to reach the half a million mark of overall doses within the next 48 hours.

"That's a pretty significant milestone in this phase of the campaign," he says.

Hipkins said the $1.4 billion covers the commitments already made to the vaccination portfolio - the four vaccines that have advanced purchase agreements.

Yesterday a report by the Auditor-General raised serious concerns about whether the government could reach its targets and if there was even enough vaccine in the country.

Dr Bloomfield acknowledged the programme was huge and ambitious, with the aim of nearly 8,000,000 doses of vaccine to be given before the end of the year.