133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
9 November 2021
A Limbachia
By email: [FYI request #17338 email]
Ref:
H202114944
Tēnā koe A Limbachia
Response to your request for official information
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to the Ministry of
Health (the Ministry) on 25 October 2021 for information regarding COVID-19.
You specifically requested:
What is the chance of surviving covid 19 by age group if healthy and with no
comorbidities?
The risk of fatality after COVID-19 is dependent upon many factors. In particular, a person's age
and underlying conditions such as kidney disease, heart disease and severe lung disease. The
number of cases of COVID-19 reported worldwide on the 6 September was 221,558,109 with
4,581,963. Giving a mortality rate of just over 2%. Compared to a person aged 20-39, a person
who is 85 years or older has a risk which is 600 times higher. Vaccination markedly reduces the
risk of becoming il or dying from COVID-19.
Has the covid 19 aka SARS-CoV-2 virus virus been purified and isolated directly from a
sample taken from a covid diseased patient, where the patient sample was NOT first
combined with any other source of genetic material. To clarify I am requesting evidence
showing Isolation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in human beings in your possession as this
would have been integral in the crafting of the Covid19 Public Health Response Act here
In New Zealand.
The Ministry does not hold any information relating to your request. Therefore, your request is
refused under section 18(g)(i) as the information requested is not held by the Ministry and there
are no grounds for believing it is held by another agency subject to the Act.
The Ministry does not conduct scientific research or studies. Please refer to online scientific
studies for further information:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.
You may be interested in reading a response that has also been previously published on the
Ministry website at the following
address:
www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/information-
release/h202100116_2_feb_2021_covid_virus_isolation.pdf. This shows that the virus has
been isolated.
What are all the adverse effects that one could get from the covid vaccines?
A full list of adverse effects is publicly available here:
www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/vaccine-
report-overview.asp
Does the covid vaccine stop transmission of covid from one person to another?
Preliminary results from studies carried out by researchers have shown that two doses of the
Pfizer vaccine can substantially reduce transmission of the
virus:
www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/pages/science_updates_7_may_2021.pdf.
However more data is required to understand the extent of the effect that vaccination has
on transmission of the Delta variant. A summary of currently available data can be found on
the
US CDC science brief page.
The Coronavirus Immunisation handbook provides references to scientific studies conducted
regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine:
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/immunisation-handbook-
2020/5-coronavirus-disease-covid-19.
Medsafe also publishes up to date information regarding the Comirnaty vaccine, including its
clinical efficacy and safety:
www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/PUArticles/June2021/Spotlight-on-
Comirnaty-vaccine.html.
The following links may also be useful to you:
•
Information regarding the approval process of the vaccine can be found
here:
www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/vaccine-approval-process.asp
•
Information regarding the efficacy and safety of the vaccine can be found
here:
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-
coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/about-covid-19/covid-19-about-delta-
variant
•
The Ministry also regularly updates the Science News page for up to
date information regarding COVID-19 and the Vaccine:
www.health.govt.nz/our-
work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-resources-and-
tools/covid-19-science-news.
More studies and research regarding the vaccine can be found on PubMed
here:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ and the New England Journal of Medicine
here:
https://www.nejm.org/coronavirus.
Does the covid vaccine stop you from getting covid if you are vaccinated?
Vaccines are a critical aspect of the package of measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19. It is
expected to reduce overall infection rate and the incidence of symptomatic disease, and
therefore the risk of onward transmission within our communities.
The following link provides information on vaccine effectiveness and other health
measures:
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-
coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/about-covid-19/covid-19-about-delta-variant is that
vaccination reduces transmission and the severity of COVID if infected.
Please refer to the vaccination stats that reinforce this:
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-
and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-case-
demographics#age-gender.
These statistics show that the majority of the people who are infected with COVID-19 and/or in
hospital are unvaccinated.
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Are any ingredients in the pfizer vaccine being kept secret? (patented)
No all ingredients are in the datasheet here:
www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/Datasheet/c/comirnatyinj.pdf
What compensation is provided to those who die or face ongoing medical conditions and
unable to work after the covid vaccine?
Is there any financial cover from any deterioration in medical health within a 20 year
timeframe following the covid vaccine without having to prove the vaccine as the cause of
said deterioration? (it is inherently difficult to prove a decline in health was due to the covid
vaccine)
As New Zealand operates a no-fault accident compensation system, there is no requirement to
indemnify employers and/or healthcare providers. The Accident Compensation Corporation
(ACC) provides assistance and cover in these situations:
www.covid.immune.org.nz/faq/wil -
acc-provide-cover-covid-19-vaccination-injuries.
What alternative existing treatment options are there for covid?
As COVID-19 is a viral il ness, there is no specific treatment. Most people who develop COVID-
19 wil recover fully while isolating at home or in managed isolation and quarantine and they do
not require hospitalisation. Supportive treatment with fluid, rest, and antifever medication is
useful in aiding recovery and can be successfully managed by a general practitioner (GP). A GP
is best placed to provide care for those who are recovering from COVID-19 at home, as they are
familiar with underlying conditions that may impact recovery and can manage these
appropriately.
For patients who are hospitalised with serious cases of COVID-19, there is currently
one Medsafe approved medication which is dexamethasone. It is an anti-inflammatory
medication that is indicated in the treatment of COVID-19 for patients who require supplemental
oxygen therapy. You can find the Medsafe datasheet for the approved medicine here:
www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/Datasheet/d/Dexmethsonetab.pdf.
Medical practitioners are permitted to use any medicine for a particular patient in their care at
their discretion; however, unapproved medicines have not been evaluated
by Medsafe for safety and efficacy. If your healthcare professional chose to prescribe other
agents to treat a patient with COVID-19 it would be their responsibility to ensure that they are
aware of any safety issues and that they communicate the risks and benefits to their patients.
See
www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/medicine-approval-process.asp.
The Ministry of Health is aware that therapeutics wil have a role to play in managing the
pandemic for people who are not vaccinated. Medicines and other ways to treat and manage
patients who have COVID-19 are being continually developed and researched. You can find
more information on COVID-19 treatments on the Ministry of Health website here:
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-
health-advice-public/about-covid-19 .
The Ministry of Health does not conduct the treatment of patients, therefore cannot provide
guidance regarding the treatment protocols that is in the hospitals, general practitioners or
district health boards.
Which immunity is longer lasting natural immunity or vaccine immunity?
Once a person is infected with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), their immune
system kicks in and produces an immune response to the virus. This response is made up of
different components, including proteins called antibodies. Antibodies are produced by the
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immune system to fight foreign organisms and substances that the body perceives as a threat,
such as viruses. The antibodies can remember what the virus looks like, which means that they
can quickly spot and target the virus if it is encountered again. The immune system then
destroys the targeted virus.
This process is similar to what happens when our body encounters other common viruses, such
as influenza. While our body can produce an immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, it is
not yet known how long this immunity lasts. Initial research has indicated that antibody
responses can last for several months in some people.
COVID-19 is a new disease, so there is no existing immunity in our community. This means that
COVID-19 could spread widely and quickly.
Further information about immunity is available here:
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-
and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/about-covid-19/covid-
19-what-we-know-about-infection-and-immunity.
What size particle is the covid virus?
This information is publicly available here:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7579175/
What size particles do the cloth and disposable facemasks that most of the general public
wearing in NZ actually filter out?
Do facemasks stop covid virus transmission and which type do?
What are all the health effects from breathing in one’s toxins and carbon dioxide when
wearing a facemask?
Please note the Ministry of Health does not conduct scientific research or studies. Please refer
to online scientific studies for further information:
https:/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.
The Ministry constantly reviews international studies and evidence on mask wearing in the
community setting. Our current advice aligns with that of the World Health Organization
(WHO):
www.who.int/publications/i/item/advice-on-the-use-of-masks-in-the-community-during-
home-care-and-in-healthcare-settings-in-the-context-of-the-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)-
outbreak.
As part of reviewing international evidence, the Ministry considers other advice from
international organisations including Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health
England, the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Australian jurisdictions and
a range of scientific and medical journals.
The information is collated through Ministry specialist technical advisory groups whose
membership include a variety of expert professions such as infection prevention and control,
public health, infectious diseases, microbiology and primary care. When reviewing evidence, we
ensure it is applicable to the current New Zealand situation and can be applied in our context.
Please refer to the below previously released responses regarding masks:
•
www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/information-
release/h202006250_20_oct_2020.pdf.
•
www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/information-
release/h202008732_15_dec_2020_0.pdf.
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Can the covid virus be spread through the eyes and skin?
The virus has been detected in tears and conjunctival swab specimens from individuals with
COVID-19. If someone rubs their eyes and then touches someone else or touches a surface,
that kind of transmission mechanism could occur.
These droplets carrying SARS-CoV-2 can enter your body through the mucous membranes
(wet parts) of your face – your eyes, nose and mouth – which provide a direct pathway to your
throat and lungs. The good news is that it can’t get in through other parts of your body like your
skin or your hair, but you might be surprised just how easily it can get to the mucous
membranes of your face.
Does one need to be showing cold and flu symptoms in order to transmit covid virus?
What evidence and proof do you have that healthy unvacccinated people who have no cold
and flu symptoms actually can transmit the covid virus?
Infected people can transmit the virus whether or not they have symptoms.
People mainly transmit COVID-19 when they have symptoms. But people can also spread it just
before they develop symptoms when they are near other people for longer periods of time.
For further information on transmission from the World Health Organization is available here:
www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-
detail/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-how-is-it-transmitted
How many people have died from the flu each year since 2015
This information is publicly available here
: https://minhealthnz.shinyapps.io/mortality-web-tool/.
Follow the link in the right-hand corner of the page to open the web tool.
Other published mortality data is on this page:
www.health.govt.nz/nz-health-statistics/health-
statistics-and-data-sets/mortality-data-and-stats.
For more recent data, there is approximately a 6–8 week lag between a death occurring and the
fact of this death appearing in Ministry of Health data. The earliest fact of death information is
available online from the Stats NZ COVID 19 data portal here:
www.stats.govt.nz/experimental/covid-19-data-portal. This shows trends in the numbers of
deaths in New Zealand over time, but does not give cause of death.
After the Ministry receives fact of death information, there is a 6–18-month process to assign a
cause of death code for most deaths. The Ministry’s clinical coding team reviews the death
certificate and health history of the deceased, to assign cause of death codes. Any death which
requires a coronial inquiry can take 2-3 or more years for cause of death to be assigned. We do
not make mortality data available publicly until the majority of deaths have been assigned a
cause of death, so that the data we release is complete and accurate.
The Ministry publishes preliminary mortality statistics, which do not include injury-related deaths
information which are typically more influenced by coronial cases, in December each year. The
2019 preliminary data wil be published in December 2021.
I trust this information fulfils your request. 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.
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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
Nick Allan
Manager, OIA Services
Office of the Director-General
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