6. Question No. 6—COVID-19 ResponseVANUSHI WALTERS (Labour—Upper Harbour) to the Minister for COVID19 ResponseQuestion No. 6—COVID-19 Response6. VANUSHI WALTERS (Labour—Upper Harbour) to the Minister for COVID19 Response: What recent announcements have been made on New Zealand's COVID-19 vaccine immunisation programme?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): Following Medsafe's approval of the Pfizer vaccine as a booster the Government announced yesterday that we'll roll out a booster vaccination programme and that doses will be available from 29 November. The Pfizer vaccine will be used for boosters regardless of which vaccine was used for earlier doses. It's the same Pfizer vaccine that's been used for the first and second doses for most New Zealanders through our vaccination roll-out. Vaccination is the best protection against COVID-19. People will be able to access boosters in New Zealand whether they received their earlier doses here or overseas. With our eligible population now at 90 percent for first doses and 81 percent fully vaccinated we're now amongst one of the most vaccinated countries in the world and we can continue to keep ahead of the pack by rolling out boosters.Vanushi Walters: What criteria if any will there be to obtain a booster shot and what does this mean for people who have had two doses?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I would note that most other countries are rationing booster doses to certain segments of their population. We've made the decision to make boosters available to everybody six months after their primary vaccine course was finished. Accordingly most of this roll-out will happen naturally in 2020. That ensures simplicity and it also helps to ensure equity. Our focus will be on encouraging the most at risk of COVID including our health workers our border workers and our Māori and Pacific communities. We'll also be making sure older people and our kaumātua including people in aged residential care have good access to booster doses when they become available. People don't necessarily need to rush to get this done. If you've been vaccinated you're still very well protected from infection and from becoming seriously ill if you were to get COVID-19—Pfizer protection for example ranges from 85 to 93 percent in its effectiveness against severe disease for hospitalisation it's is 80 percent - plus.Vanushi Walters: How many people will be eligible for a booster shot this year and do we have sufficient stock to accommodate all eligible New Zealanders?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: There are currently 144000 people in New Zealand who've been vaccinated for six months or more. By the end of the year we expect that to increase to 455847 people. We've got heaps of vaccines available to support the booster shots for eligible New Zealanders and of course we've ordered an extra 4.7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine for 2022. I'm also pleased to say that we have recently approved the use of AstraZeneca for those who are unable to get the Pfizer vaccine. We've got enough supply as well to ensure that if future eligibility extends to five- to 11-year-olds or we have a surge in people getting vaccinated through the booster programme we'll be able to meet that demand.