New Zealand vaccinated at least 2.5% of its people today as the government tries to accelerate inoculations and live with Covid-19, preliminary health ministry data showed.
Through an array of strategies, gimmicks and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's encouragement through the day, 124,669 shots were administered by late in the day in a country of 4.9 million. "We set a target for ourselves, Aotearoa, you've done it, but let's keep going," Ms Ardern said, using a Maori name for New Zealand at a vaccination site, according to the Newshub news service. "Let's go for 150.
Let's go big or go home." New Zealand had stayed largely virus-free for most of the pandemic until an outbreak of the Delta variant in mid-August.