Paul Hunter

New Zealand’s zero Covid strategy is becoming unsustainable

Restrictions never stop a pandemic – they can only delay it

New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern (photo: Getty)

New Zealand has done remarkably well over the past 18 months at protecting its citizens from the worst of the Covid pandemic – better than almost any other country in the world. Only 26 people have died of Covid in the country, after it has aggressively locked down at the first sign of a case and closed off its borders to the rest of the world. But as we have recently learned in Afghanistan, an exit strategy can easily undermine all your previous achievements.

New Zealand is now in a very difficult situation. It is currently facing its first outbreak of the Delta variant, but only a small proportion of its population is immunised. This week the country announced that its latest lockdown would be extended again. How New Zealand handles the coming months will be crucial in minimising severe disease and death.

The belief that ‘zero Covid’ or herd immunity are long-term achievable objectives has, in my view, clouded our decision-making

Most scientists with a history of working on these kinds of infections have believed for months that Covid will become endemic and that herd immunity was never going to be achieved.

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