NZ and the Covid-19 vaccine

When is the Covid-19 vaccine coming? Will it work? William Ray talks to NZ experts charting our path towards immunity.

The Covid-19 vaccine. When is it coming? Will it work? How do we get it to the people who need it most?

William Ray talks to the New Zealand experts who have been tasked with charting our path towards immunity.

Computer generated image of the Covid-19 virus

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Graham Le Gros is an immunology expert. In the days before Covid-19 his work as research director of the Malaghan Institute focused on convincing the human immune system to attack cancer cells.

These days he has another job.

"We could see New Zealand desperately needs to be able to access ," Professor Le Gros says.

"So we put our hands up and said 'why don't we build a consortium of the best people who've got the skills and experience?'"

Professor Le Gros' coalition of the willing is Ohu Kaupare Huaketo - The Aotearoa New Zealand Vaccine Alliance. Back in May 2020, the government gave the Alliance 10 million dollars to research, develop and evaluate Covid-19 vaccines.

That's pocket change compared to massive investments from international pharmaceutical companies and nation states, but Professor Le Gros thinks it's still important for New Zealand to do its part.

"A number of the leading candidates may actually fall over. They may have adverse reactions, or they might be too expensive, or they may not be available in New Zealand," he explains. "As insurance, we are making our own local New Zealand vaccine."

Professor Graham Le Gros is the director of Ohu Kaupare Huaketo - The Aotearoa New Zealand Vaccine Alliance

Testing, testing

Even if we don't end up using a home-made vaccine, Professor Le Gros thinks New Zealand may have an important role in testing vaccines developed overseas.

He says our mostly Covid-free environment gives us an unusual advantage in vaccine testing.

"Having the community completely virus-free is a really powerful way to test the ability of your vaccine to stimulate neutralising antibodies in an unprimed, naive population. It's gold"

Put simply, if you give someone a vaccine in New Zealand and that person develops Covid-19 antibodies, you can be confident those antibodies are there because of the vaccine - not because the person had been exposed to the actual virus.

Professor James Ussher from Otago University works alongside Graham Le Gros at the Vaccine Alliance…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details