Covid 19 coronavirus: Frontline health workers next in line for vaccine

More than 50,000 frontline health workers will be included in the next group to be vaccinated later this month.

It follows border workers and then their household members - a group of about 50,000 - who will start being vaccinated this week.

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern said Cabinet had agreed today that frontline health workers such as those involved with Covid testing and vaccination, GPs and the receptionists and nurses, pharmacists, NGOs, paramedics, community midwives and well child workers who work in people's home, who could pick up the virus through their workforce and pass it on to vulnerable people would be next in line for the vaccine.

She said it applied to staff at the front line interacting directly with patients.

"We've chosen this group of New Zealanders on the basis they are most likely to pick up the virus through work but also because it will help to protect against onwards spread to other vulnerable community workers that they work with."

Ardern said early evidence on the Pfizer vaccine was "very promising" about preventing onward transmission.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the Ministry of Health was working with the Auckland Regional Public Health Service to ensure they had everything they needed to continue vaccinating border workers and that the vaccine rollout was continuing "without missing a beat" and on target.