NZ’s Pandemic Planning 20 Years out of Date, Auditor General Warns

Published on November 1, 2024

The Auditor General has warned that New Zealand’s Ministry of Health is still relying on a pandemic plan that was shown to be inadequate when COVID-19 struck in 2020. While there has been sporadic progress in implementing the recommendations his office made at that time, there is still a significant risk of the country not having enough supplies of antivirals or vaccines if another pandemic were to strike. In a letter to Parliament’s Health Committee, John Ryan warned that New Zealand is in danger of slipping into a cycle of “panic, then forget” when it comes to handling major national health challenges....

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