133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
21 July 2021
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
T. Baker
By email: [FYI request #15967 email]
Ref:
H202108049
Tēnā koe T. Baker
Response to your request for official information
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) on 5 July 2021.
Your requests were consolidated under section 18(A) of the Act. I shall respond to each part of
your request below:
Please provide information related to the following:
- Total number of Covid-19 PCR tests that the New Zealand Government and/or Ministry
of Health has performed and funded to date.
As of 19 July 2021 23:59, Ministry of Health (the Ministry) has funded total of 2,405,241 PCR
tests.
- Total cost that the New Zealand Government and/or Ministry of Health has incurred on
Covid-19 PCR testing to date.
The Ministry has received invoices totalling $136,962,980 to end of May 2021. Invoices for June
2021 are not yet available.
- The cost incurred or funded by the New Zealand Government and/or Ministry of Health
per Covid-19 PCR test over time.
The costs of laboratories processing per test are as follows:
$70/ test – up until end of September 2020.
$63/test – from 1 October 2021.
- Information related to Covid-19 PCR test laboratory processing contracts:
a) Dates contracts were issued for tender;
b) Names of laboratories that tendered;
c) Dates same tenders were finalised and contract signed;
d) Duration of laboratory testing contracts; and
d) Dates contracts were re-tendered, if applicable.
Only one contract has been issued by the Ministry related to the laboratory processing of
COVID-19 tests. A request for proposals from providers of COVID-19 end-to-end saliva testing
services (including laboratory processing of samples) was released on 12 March 2021. The
Ministry is not able to release the names of unsuccessful tenderers; however, the successful
tenderer was Asia Pacific Healthcare Group (APHG), who operate several laboratories across
New Zealand. A 12-month contract was signed with APHG in May 2021. The names of
unsuccessful tenderers are withheld in full under section 9(2)(b)(ii) where its release would likely
unreasonably prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied the information.
Please provide all reports provided to date by Pfizer to satisfy Comirnaty Provisional
Consent conditions:
- "52) Provide any reports on the duration of efficacy and the requirement for
booster doses within five working days of these being produced."
- "54) Provide any reports on efficacy including asymptomatic infection in the vaccinated
group, vaccine failure, immunogenicity, efficacy in population subgroups and results from
post-marketing studies, within five working days of these being produced."
- "56) Provide Periodic Safety Update Reports according to the same schedule as
required by the EMA."
- "57) Provide monthly safety reports, as well as all safety reviews they conduct or
become aware of."
Conditions 52 and 54 have not yet been addressed by Pfizer, therefore this information does
not yet exist. This part of your request is therefore refused under section 18(e) of the Act.
Please refer to the following link to keep up to date with how the conditions are progressing:
www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/status-of-applications.asp.
For conditions 56, these reports are withheld under section 9(2)(ba)(i), to protect information
that is subject to an obligation of confidence and making it available would likely prejudice the
supply of similar information, or information from the same source.
For condition 57, here is the most useful link
www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/safety-report-
14.asp.
Under section 28(3) of the Act you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review any
decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at:
[email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.
Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Ministry website at:
www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/information-releases/responses-official-
information-act-requests.
Nāku noa, nā
Darryl Carpenter
Group Manager, COVID-19 Immunisation, Testing & Supply
COVID-19 Health System Response
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