New Zealand is set to begin its rollout of the coronavirus vaccine on March 31st, which is the date when citizens will be able to begin the application process for the vaccine. It was announced today that the country will be prioritizing its athletes that represent New Zealand in large international sports competitions, such as Olympians, Paralympians, and national cricket players.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said of the move, “The key yardstick here is people traveling in an official capacity and ensuring their participation is in our national interest.” He added that the applications for the athletes’ vaccinations will need to be made by the agencies responsible for them, rather than by the individuals themselves.
New Zealand wasn’t hit nearly as hard by the coronavirus pandemic as many other countries, even experiencing a period of being COVID-free last summer. According to Johns Hopkins University, New Zealand has been averaging less than 5 new cases a day so far in 2021. In total, New Zealand has only recorded less than 2500 cases, and only 26 deaths throughout the duration of the pandemic.
Like neighboring Australia, strict quarantine measures for individuals entering the country for at least 14 days have helped keep numbers down on the island.
The overall low numbers of coronavirus infections in New Zealand may have been a driving force behind the government deciding to prioritize athletes who compete internationally. With so few cases, the number of New Zealanders who have built natural immunity after being infected with the virus is also very low. That means vaccination is essentially the only line of defense against the virus for nearly everyone in New Zealand. Due to that, there is a higher risk of athletes traveling internationally returning to New Zealand and causing an outbreak.
New Zealand sent a team of 199 athletes competing in 20 sports to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Don’t take the Vaccine. It’s deadly..
It looks like American National teamers should be able to be vaccinated by Trials, if not before it. Many states are already 16 and older!!!
i mean, they don’t really have covid right now, do they? it makes sense
In a country more or less without COVID, it makes sense to prioritize the people who will be leaving the country. So this seems logical to me.
Everyone needs to be a “priority” not just athletes.