Last week Chris Hipkins was quoted saying, “The entire population could be vaccinated in as little as six and a half months”. That’s correct, just as it’s equally correct to say, “the entire population could be captured by aliens in as little as six and a half months”. The key word here is “could”.
The important questions the Minister is evading, are does the Health Department actually have firm vaccination supplies ordered and if so, with which manufacturers, how many and most critically, with what promised delivery dates?
The compliant media are ignoring this issue and allowing the Minister to continue with his unnecessary daily show pony television appearances with Ashley, babbling John Campbell-like, although without the unctuousness, on totally irrelevant updates of recent arrivals. Between them stands a cartoonish creature of indeterminate gender, writhing, face-pulling and arm-waving, this silliness in lieu of captions.
It’s long overdue for the government to end this charade and come clean and admit the Health Department failed to order vaccines. The Department dropped the Minister in the poo telling him we’re at the head of the queue when the truth was, along with a few war-torn countries, we aren’t even in it.
Over the weekend the Prime Minister began a softening up the mug public process by deploring the situation in Europe which she asserted was a monopolistic practise, this referring to Britain. In fact, there’s currently non-stop crowing about it in Britain as the European Union’s Brussels bureaucracy said it would handle supply on behalf of the 28 members states, then displaying precisely the type of bureaucratic centralist ineptitude which drove the Brexit vote, like New Zealand, forgot to actually place the orders. Thus Britain is currently on target to have every adult vaccinated by the end of June.
Our government must cut out the weasley words. It enjoys terrific good-will with the public and the media and can afford to be upfront instead of unnecessary and irrelevant daily TV updates about arrivals. The big issue is vaccines supply, nothing else.
Tell the truth, admit a cock-up then get on to the Chinese for some help. After the Trade Minister’s astonishing gaffe last week, which understandably caused much anger across the Tasman, one thing’s sure and that is the Chinese government would have approved and may be the only manufacturer country which can help New Zealand.
For people worried about this there’s an answer. Pop across the Tasman. Their vaccination programme is starting this month.