Experts say New Zealand should keep virus elimination plan

About 28% of people have received at least one dose and 15% are fully vaccinated.

The numbers are now 34% and 20% respectively.

It's sad to see the defeatist attitude of many western nations, accepting that SARS-CoV-2 will be endemic much like influenza. The best strategy is still to drive the virus to extinction through a combination of lockdowns, vaccines, natural immunity after infection, as well as cheap and widely available home testing.

The comparison to measles in article is a poor one since the measles vaccines produce sterilizing immunity, unlike the current leaky COVID-19 vaccines. So even if New Zealand achieves 100% vaccination, the population will still be susceptible to variants like delta, as we can already see in places like Gibraltar. Sure, the risk of more sever outcomes will be reduced, but we will be saddling ourselves with an unnecessary public health burden (and attendant financial costs) for generations to come.

Vaccinated people can still carry the virus, so NZ would need to maintain quarantine for all arrivals. That means building secure quarters that keep incomers properly isolated from locals throughout quarantine.

That ends most tourism which limits the number of units required. Some posh ones will be needed for tech millionaires etc.

There is no reason to suppose that covid has 'seasonal' surges, or that there will be surges once the vaccination rate is high enough. We have lots of endemic viruses. This will just be another one.

With a pop. of 5m, that is a really slow vaccination programme. It makes Australia look quick.

Did NZ do this with HIV and Hepatitis? I guess they could choose to only allow folk to emigrate there if they are in perfect health.

Is it realistic for the country to maintain its zero-tolerance approach, which has included strict lockdowns for even small outbreaks, once it begins to reopen its borders?

No, it’s of course not, it’s just only contradicting and making the so far quite successful approach useless. And my personal guess is, that’s exactly what some people want to enforce to do now and then using the failings as their new arguments.

I am a New Zealander.

Our response has been perfect as has that of Queensland in Australia where we live.

Our kids are going to school and playing team sports. We are enjoying concerts and full sports stadiums. No lockdowns and no old people living in any fear.

What exactly is not to like?

Am I missing the overseas tourists? Not so much. Is impossible to book a hotel or even a camping ground space in many parts of Queensland. New Zealand skifields also at full capacity. All kinds of businesses are booming. Hospitals are not troubled. We go weeks and soon month without even thinking of covid.

We are gradually getting vaccinated by Pfizer as supply becomes available.

Good for New Zealand!

With so few fully vaccinated, New Zealand is in danger of a major, major outbreak of the Delta variant. Best wishes to them. I hope they accelerate their vaccination program.

A model for Japan. But, no. Olympics. Paralympics. The powers that be, chewing on the bit to resume industrial tourism aka Chinese to flood the country.