When Covid-19 first hit last year, information about it changed by the day.
`There was no time to produce any scientific documents. Everything was confirmed verbally,` she said.
`I kept giving her recordings, information, graphs, anything she needed. She said she was not a scientist, but she thought in a very scientific way. The Prime Minister liked
According to her, the reason the government sends clear messages is because Prime Minister Ardern always goes into details and finds ways to simplify them.
`Countries that experienced the SARS epidemic understand that they need to act as quickly as possible. During the incubation period of the virus, you will find the transmission routes of the cases,` she said.
Countries with pandemic response plans similar to those for influenza often focus heavily on minimizing outbreaks – an ineffective approach.
This country has the advantage of a remote geographical location and relatively low population density.
`We made the most of our luck,` she said.
People wait for a bus at a bus station in New Zealand – where life is relatively normal after the blockade.
New Zealand advocates preventing the spread of the virus in the community early by closing borders and strict blockades.
This country only recorded 26 deaths from Covid-19.
`If you look around the world, it seems that places that are good at fighting epidemics are often slow to vaccinate. This is understandable, right?`, Gerrard said.
The current situation makes New Zealand vulnerable to another outbreak.
`Taiwan is an extremely typical scene. Initially peaceful, then the number of infections increased dramatically,` Gerrard said.
But she remains optimistic about New Zealand’s future.
New Zealand aims to vaccinate the entire population by the end of this year.
`There will be a lot of risks. If we let down our guard, many people will get sick, including severe cases. It is important to balance the benefits of opening the border with the risk of having to close it immediately after
New Zealand needs to ensure certain vaccination rates, protecting vulnerable groups such as the elderly, Māori and Pacific people.
`We are a little bit behind many countries, which are experimenting, to learn from them,` she said.
