New Zealand Olympians to get early access to COVID-19 vaccine

[ASFN Admin]

Chris Hipkins, the minister responsible for New Zealand's response to the global health crisis, said people would be eligible to jump the queue for the vaccine on compassionate grounds or to compete in events of "national significance".The latter category would include Olympians, Paralympians and the national cricket team, who will be travelling to Britain to play India in the final of the ICC World Test Championship in June. "The key yardstick here is people travelling in an official capacity and ensuring their participation is in our national interest," Hipkins told reporters in Wellington. New Zealand has been one of the most successful countries at containing the virus and started the second round of its vaccine rollout for border and quarantine workers last week.

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