133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T +64 4 496 2000
W www.medsafe.govt.nz
5 May 2026
Mr. Richards
By email: [FYI request #34407 email]
Ref: H2026081071
Tēnā koe Mr. Richards
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 – Manatū Hauora (the Ministry) on 7 April 2026 for information regarding COVID-19
vaccine course recommendations. Each part of your request is addressed in turn:
1- All documents, briefings, minutes, emails, risk assessments, modelling, or internal advice
prepared or considered by the Ministry of Health, Te Whatu Ora, or the Immunisation
Advisory Centre (IMAC) when deciding — in the 27 March 2026 amendments to Chapter 5
of the Immunisation Handbook — to retain a routine recommendation for a primary COVID-
19 vaccine course (one dose for healthy previously unvaccinated individuals aged 5 years
and over; two doses for severely immunocompromised individuals aged 5 years and over),
while simultaneously advising that additional doses are “not routinely recommended” for
healthy adults aged 30–64 years due to lower clinical risk of severe infection and high
population hybrid immunity.
2- Any epidemiological modelling, cohort studies, or risk-benefit analyses (using 2025–2026
data) assessing the incremental benefit of a primary dose (or two-dose primary course) in
previously unvaccinated healthy or immunocompromised individuals against severe
COVID-19 outcomes, hospitalisation, or death under current endemic conditions with
LP.8.1-lineage strains and widespread hybrid immunity.
3- The most recent surveillance data (2025–2026) on severe COVID-19 outcomes in the
remaining unvaccinated population (including those eligible for a primary course) compared
with those possessing hybrid immunity, stratified by age group, comorbidity status, and
ethnicity.
4- Updated analyses of adverse event rates (particularly myocarditis/pericarditis and any
other serious events) following a primary COVID-19 vaccine dose (or two-dose course) in
previously unvaccinated healthy or immunocompromised individuals aged 5–64 years,
including comparison to infection-related risks in 2026.
6- Any internal advice or modelling addressing (a) equity impacts (including for Māori and
Pacific populations) of retaining the current primary-course recommendation versus (b)
moving the primary course to a shared clinical decision-making / optional model only,
consistent with the approach taken for additional doses in healthy 30–64 year-olds.
7- All correspondence, briefings, advice, or assessments exchanged between the Ministry
of Health / Te Whatu Ora and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) concerning NZDF’s
“further review” of its baseline vaccination schedule triggered by the 27 March 2026
Immunisation Handbook changes. This includes any evaluation of how the risk-stratified
approach and reduced routine recommendations for healthy adults apply to NZDF serving
members and recruits, with specific reference to NZDF OIA-2026-5687 and follow-up
request 34315 (including impacts on recruitment, retention, the ~164 previously discharged
personnel, and NZDF’s status as the only remaining Five Eyes nation with a COVID-19
baseline requirement).
On 21 April 2026, the Ministry determined that part 1 of your request asked for information which
was held by Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora (HNZ), and as such this part of your request
under section 14(b)(i) of the Act. It was subsequently confirmed that parts 2, 3, 6 and 7 asked for
information which aligned more closely with HNZ’s functions, and these parts were transferred to
their agency on 23 April 2026. Should you wish to follow up with HNZ, you can contact their OIA
services team at:
[email address].
4- Updated analyses of adverse event rates (particularly myocarditis/pericarditis and any
other serious events) following a primary COVID-19 vaccine dose (or two-dose course) in
previously unvaccinated healthy or immunocompromised individuals aged 5–64 years,
including comparison to infection-related risks in 2026.
Medsafe no longer publishes COVID-19 vaccine Safety Reports, hence the most recent AEFI
data analysis (adverse events following immunisation with COVID-19 vaccines) is from
November 2022. Reports of AEFIs to COVID-19 vaccines can now be found in the SMARS
database on the Medsafe website her
e: www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/vaccine-report-
overview.asp.
As the Ministry does not hold updated analyses for adverse event rates including any
comparisons to infection related risks for the year 2026, and has no grounds for believing
that the information is held by another agency, your request is refused under section 18(g)(i)
of the Act.
5- Any cost-effectiveness, health-economic, or resource-allocation assessments for
continuing to recommend and publicly fund primary COVID-19 vaccination (one- or two-
dose courses) for previously unvaccinated individuals when routine additional-dose
recommendations have been narrowed for the same low-risk groups.
On 17 April 2026, the Ministry transferred part 5 of your request to the office of the Minister of
Health, Hon Simeon Brown, under section 14(b)(ii) of the Act. The Minister’s office wil be
responding to part 5 of your request in due course. To follow up, you can contact the Minister’s
office at:
[email address].
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this decision, please feel free
to contact the OIA Services Team on:
[email address].
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
Chris James
Group Manager
Medsafe
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