A Catastrophic Cock-Up

A week ago on this Blog I wrote,

“We’re now in a fingers crossed situation, hoping that the new rapid mutation transmission variety doesn’t hit our shores. That’s not something I’d bet on”.

As it transpired that was prophetic, the rapid mutation virus arriving three days later causing havoc. Furthermore, on the evidence from abroad it will be almost impossible to prevent re-occurring and once again the nation could be plunged into an economically devastating lockdown.

That’s no one’s fault. What is however is the mind-blowing blundering regarding vaccines to deal with this.

Four months back Health Minister Hipkins not once but twice assured the nation, “We’re at the head of the queue to obtain vaccines”. We now learn that we weren’t even in the queue.

So was Hipkins lying? Not for a minute do I think that, rather, like all Ministers he was relying on what his Health department officials were telling him. This ineptitude may go down as the most incompetent bureaucratic blunder in our history. Why?

Because of the probability of more economically debilitating and soul-destroying lockdowns and the possibility of lives lost, simply because far from being at the head of the queue, our Health officials had done nothing.

The New Zealand media have largely ignored this but not so abroad.

Last week The Financial Times published a lengthy article on this astonishing stuff-up, quoting a number of New Zealand relevant academics, understandably wringing their hands.

New Zealand, alone, not just in the developed world but with the exception of a handful of chaotic war-torn African nations, not only has no vaccines, let alone a vaccination programme, but no possibility of having one inside at best six months.

Why? Because demand massively exceeds supply and manufacturers can’t keep up with their established client nations, let alone entertain a new one.

So Britain with its near 70 million population expects to have every adult inoculated by the end of June, America is vaccinating a million folk a day and plan to double this up inside a month, Australia begins its mass vaccination programme next month, Russia and China are vaccinating many millions a day, while alone, our Health Department clowns wring their hands and mutter about such activity here by year-end.

There needs to be a huge enquiry into this blunder, of Royal Commission status. The last Royal Commission was, as I wrote when it was announced, utterly pointless, being into the Christchurch mosque massacre. That was a shocking waste of time and money, its only plus being it paid me to rent the space to conduct it.

But an enquiry into our Health Department ineptitude is critical, in particular given epidemiologists and other relevant specialists all say that it’s inevitable Covid will not be the last such event and we can expect them to be a regular feature.

A final irony; On the day The Financial Times ran their piece about the New Zealand cock-up the World Health boss Tedros Adhanom appealed to New Zealand and other wealthy nations to spare a thought for the half dozen distressed war-torn mismanaged African countries without vaccines and for us to allow them a small quota to help out. Please repeat the appeal Tedros, only this time on our behalf.

Today the Prime Minister has spoken on this issue. As I suggested last week, the excuse proffered for the cock-up inaction, is that our Health officials were waiting to ensure the vaccines were safe. That’s reasonable but why then drop the Minister in by telling him we were at the head of queue when we weren’t.

Jacinda gave vague year-end vaccination assurances but I suspect underneath is seething although not as much as Chris Hipkins will be.

So once again, we’re in a fingers-crossed situation. Skybayers should get stuck in praying which will be just as futile but they will at least feel better.

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