The New Zealand government has committed to providing paediatric doses of Pfizer vaccinations to Fiji.

This was revealed by New Zealand’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta yesterday.

The paediatric dose would see children ages five to 11 eligible for the COVID-19 vaccinations.

Ms Mahuta, who is currently on a bilateral visit to Fiji, said New Zealand was happy to help Fiji in areas of mutual interest, including recovery from the pandemic.

“Our cabinet has made a decision to support 50,000 paediatric doses of Pfizer vaccines to Fiji alongside 50,000 RAT kits to help with the ongoing response,” she said.

“This is to make sure that Fijians are protected from the devastating impacts of COVID-19.”

Ms Mahuta also met with the Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete, and Permanent Secretary, Dr James Fong, on Monday to discuss Fiji’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She went on to say that New Zealand was proud to have stood by Fiji during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting health services, vaccination programmes, and Fiji’s frontline preparedness and response.

They also discussed how Fiji and New Zealand could continue to strengthen collaboration in the health sector and also identify further areas for assistance.

She added that the impact of COVID-19 has highlighted not only the closeness of the nation’s co-operation and shared priorities, but also the opportunities they have to learn from each other — particularly in terms of understanding the effects of the virus on our respective populations.

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