133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T +64 4 496 2000
W www.medsafe.govt.nz
10 August 2022
Chris McCashin
By email:
[FYI request #19836 email] Ref:
H2022006783
Dear Chris
Response to your request for official information Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to Manatū Hauora
(Ministry of Health) on 6 July 2022 for information relating to the Flu and COVID-19 vaccine. You
specifically requested:
Can you please provide for the years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022 to date
Total Flu Vaccinations Administered
Total AEFI received
The total number of flu vaccination administered is unknown as this is not recorded on Manatū
Hauora national immunisation register. However, the number of influenza vaccine doses
distributed is reported and can be found at:
www.medsafe.govt.nz/safety/reports-and-
promotion/influenza-vaccine-ADR-statistics.asp
The total number of adverse events following the influenza vaccination is available on the link
above.
Summary of the Reported Deaths to CARM - to include and be broken down as follows
Unlikely related to vaccine
Could not be determined due to insufficient information
Cases still under investigation
Likely due to vaccine
Observed versus expected deaths within 21 days of vaccine
Please break this down into age groups similar to Medsafe reporting
Fatal cases related to the flu vaccine from 2016 to 2021 can be found on the link above.
Please note, there is little detail about deaths relating to the flu vaccine as there are only a couple
per year. As the number of deaths are small the information is refused under section 9(2)(a) of
the Act, to protect the privacy of natural person.
Information regarding observed versus expected deaths within 21 days of receiving the influenza
vaccine is refused under section 18(e) of the Act, as the information requested does not exist.
Can you also please provide a list of the identified safety signals
A list of the identified safety signals does not exist. However, I refer you to Medsafe’s safety
information which available on the following links below:
•
www.medsafe.govt.nz/safety/EWS/2018/ZosterAndInfluenza.asp#Update.
•
www.medsafe.govt.nz/safety/EWS/2015/influenza-vaccine-hypersensitivity.asp.
Can you also please provide the above information for the Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine which
should be easily pulled from Medsafe reports broken down into the years of administration.
This information is publicly available in Medsafe’s safety reports, which are published every
month at:
www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/vaccine-report-overview.asp. Please note, While the Act allows New Zealanders to ask for information from Ministers and
government agencies, there is no requirement for agencies to create new documents or data.
The information that you request can be answered in the link above. As such your request is
refused in full under section 18(d) of the Act, as the information requested is publicly available.
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.
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. Yours sincerely
Chris James
Group Manager
Medsafe
Page 2 of 2
