28 March 2024
R Kingi
[FYI request #25213 email]
Tēnā koe
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00034811
Thank you for your email on 18 December 2023, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for the
following under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
Health NZ makes the fol owing claim on their website with respect to the mRNA products, such as
pfizer: "The genetic code then gets broken down and removed very quickly and easily by our body."
https://info.health.nz/immunisations/vaccines-aotearoa/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccines-
aotearoa/ Last updated: 21 November 2023
Archived: http://web.archive.org/web/2023121620084
There are many articles in the literature that note the modified mRNA is detected for quite some
time post injection,
eg https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article. ., https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36647776/
Given that, I request all advice, notes, communications, etc., that relate to how the wording above
(quoted) was arrived at.
Response
We apologise for the delay in providing our response. In response to your request, while this statement
was correct to the best of our knowledge at that time it was used, there has since been further research
regarding mRNA vaccines. We now know that the vaccine is gone from the blood very quickly but can stay
in the body (in places such as the lymph nodes) for longer. Information about this can be referenced on the
European Medicines Agency website
; www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory-overview/public-health-
threats/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/covid-19-medicines/covid-19-vaccines-key-facts
Our website wil be updated accordingly within the next month.
Your request for al advice, notes, and communications that relate to how the wording above (quoted) was
arrived at, is refused pursuant to section 18(e) of the Act because the information requested does not exist
or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address]
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman.
Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802
602.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Alana Ewe-Snow Director, Prevention National Public Health Service
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
PO Box 793, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
