New Zealand : Vaccination saline error - Parties demand transparency from government

National Party Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop says the biggest worry is that the Ministry of Health does not appear to know who the five people are that may be affected.

Radio New Zealand (RNZ) today 25 August 2021 reports: 

 The government must explain to New Zealanders what it knows, what it doesn't, and what it will do after people were potentially given saline instead of a vaccine, opposition parties say. 

 Opposition National Party Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop says the biggest worry is that the Ministry of Health does not appear to know who the five people are that may be affected. RNZ understands an investigation has begun after staff at the Highbrook vaccination centre last month realised there was an extra vial left over at the end of a day of 732 vaccinations. 

 It indicates people may have been given saline - a salt water solution - instead. 

 Vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris, a member of the government's Covid-19 immunisation implementation advisory group, this morning explained to RNZ the mistake would have happened during the process of readying the vaccine for use. 

 The Ministry of Health confirmed the vaccine stock did not match the number of doses administered, but has not yet detailed the exact date this happened. 

 People who went for inoculation at the Highbrook vaccination centre told RNZ they were worried, felt vulnerable and were unhappy the ministry had not proactively made efforts to contact people. 

 The National Party Covid-19 Response spokesperson said he hoped it had not happened elsewhere, and more transparency from the ministry and the government was needed. 

 "Be up front with the public around whether it's happened in other parts of the country and indeed in Auckland as well." 

 That it had taken about a month for the information to be made public was also concerning, he said. "We'll be asking questions today through select committee and potentially when Parliament comes back about how exactly this happened in the first place and what's being done to make sure it doesn't happen again. 

 "We need to figure out exactly what's happened and make sure it doesn't happen again." ACT leader David Seymour said the government needed to come clean and explain to New Zealanders what it knew and what it did not. In hindsight those affected may well turn out to be the 'lucky sheep' (addenda: Preserving Jar).

Vaccination saline error: Parties demand transparency from government | RNZ News (radionz.co.nz)