But we also can’t ignore the inquiry findings, which said the vaccine mandates “caused harm to individuals and families and contributed to loss of social capital” and the consequent loss of trust may have hurt the ability to respond to future pandemics.
Included among the key findings of the report was that the “use of compulsion” – including mandating various public health measures – was one of the “most controversial aspects” of the Covid-19 response.
This included the decision to put requirements around vaccines, described in the report as a “major source of tension and social division”, with “strongly held views both for and against their use”.
The report said that based on the information available in 2021, it was “reasonable” for the Government to issue orders mandating vaccines for specific occupations, such as for border and health workers. The vaccine pass system designed in late 2021, when Delta was the dominant variant, was also described as “reasonable”.
But some vaccine requirements were “applied more broadly than originally envisaged” and the case for them became weaker in 2022 once Omicron became the dominant variant.
“The case for vaccine requirements of all kinds weakened in early 2022 with the arrival of the Omicron variant, since vaccination was now much less effective in preventing Covid-19 transmission and immunity waned over time.
“While beneficial to the individual concerned, vaccination now offered less protection to others and the public health case for requiring it was weak.”
Our newsroom is proud of the campaign it ran to encourage vaccination. We believe our 90% Project was key to many New Zealanders getting the jab. High vaccination rates were one of the factors the Government considered when deciding to remove some Covid-19 restrictions. We also accept the strong consensus in the science community around the effectiveness of vaccination and rewards outweighing the risks.
But given it’s expected the country will face another pandemic, it’s imperative the Government, Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies take heed of the recommendations in the inquiry.
There are 39 primary recommendations from the inquiry so far – with many focusing on ensuring we’re better equipped for the next public health crisis like Covid-19.
There is no shortage of problems to fix within our public service (and with so many job cuts there are fewer people to pick up the work) but we also can’t predict when the next pandemic will arrive.
If the best time to start getting ready for it was yesterday, the second best time, as they say, is now.
