This pandemic and future pandemic threats will remain challenging \u2013 New Zealand needs to build on its achievements<\/p>\n
Two weeks ago marked the two-year anniversary of New Zealand\u2019s adoption of the elimination strategy<\/a> and a lockdown that successfully stamped out the first wave of Covid-19<\/a>. By chance, it was also the week that the government announced a major relaxation of Covid-19 control measures<\/a> in response to the Omicron variant wave sweeping the country. <\/p>\n By most metrics, the New Zealand Covid-19 response \u2013 the initial elimination strategy<\/a> which has now transitioned to a mitigation strategy<\/a> \u2013 has been one of the most successful in the world. It got the country through the first 18 months of the pandemic until vaccines became widely available, giving it very low Covid-19 mortality rates. Life expectancy actually increased<\/a> during this period. Protecting public health has also been good for protecting the economy, resulting in relatively good economic growth<\/a> and low unemployment.<\/p>\n Prof Michael Baker and Prof Nick Wilson are epidemiologists at the University of Otago\u2019s Department of Public Health in Wellington<\/p>\n