New Zealand launched its COVID-19 vaccination program on Saturday, warning that this was only a small step in the long fight against the pandemic.
“This is the start of what you might call a new chapter, but we still have a long way to go,” said Ashley Bloomfield, the country’s chief health officer.
The country has been widely praised for its handling of the epidemic, and it has seen just 26 deaths out of a population of five million.
The vaccination campaign kicks off with immigration officials and staff working in quarantine centers and air transport, as well as with people living with them.
Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine was the first approved by New Zealand health authorities.
The vaccination program, which will gradually be extended to the rest of the population, begins just days after authorities lifted a three-day lockdown in Auckland.
Despite the vaccination campaign, the New Zealand government has said it is unlikely that foreign tourists will be allowed to return this year.