The Covid-19 vaccine being administered to a patient.
Photo: Supplied / Ministry of Health
An Air New Zealand crew member positive for Covid-19 days after receiving the vaccine and the Ministry of Health says the person cannot have caught the virus from the vaccine - as it does not contain any live, dead or deactivated virus.
The first tranche of the vaccine rollout is under way with thousands of front line workers having received their first jab, but vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris said it did not offer instant protection. It does take time. you re actually not going to see full protection until at least a week after your second dose, she said.
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Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers, Dom Thomas, Supplied / Ministry of Health, RNZ / Dan Cook
Cabinet will decide if the seven days of lockdown - that began on Sunday - is long enough to be satisfied there s no widespread transmission.
In today s Covid-19 briefing, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said it still had not been a week on from the last known public exposure event at an Auckland gym, where a positive case had visited whilst unknowingly infectious.
He said in the next 24 hours, officials would want to see test results from that gym before deciding about alert levels.
Professor Philip Hill who specialises in international health at the University of Otago told Checkpoint the time and course of that case s illness as well as the environment could be factors in that decision.
Cabinet ministers have been sitting on advice regarding a nationwide vaccination schedule for weeks, but have yet to finalise or publish a complete plan.