Inquiry finds New Zealand Covid response among world's best but 'scars' remain

A royal commission found New Zealand’s Covid response was among the best in the world but that the period left "scars". The second of two reports covers February 2021 to October 2022 and examined vaccine safety and the immunisation programme, lockdowns and tracing and testing technology.

The commission was established in 2022 by Jacinda Ardern’s Labour-led government. New Zealand has recorded 5,641 Covid deaths since 2020; the strict response, including lockdowns, vaccine mandates and border quarantine, helped to save tens of thousands of lives.

The report said decisions and methods were "considered and appropriate" while also identifying shortcomings. Strategy settings were not always adapted quickly enough to later variants, some decisions were made without enough information or monitoring, and exiting the elimination strategy proved difficult.

New Zealand

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