The Ministry of Health expects an average of 12,000 vaccinations to be given every day over the next three months - one every seven seconds, 24 hours a day - with a goal of administering over one million vaccines by the end of June.
Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers
To meet that goal will require a significant increase in capacity. So far, the most given in one day was on 8 April when 8201 injections were carried out.
The ministry this evening released a week-by-week plan for the number of vaccines they hope will be given, broken down by district health board area.
By the end of June the plan is to have nearly 1.16 million vaccines administered. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine - the only one the government expects to use - requires two doses for full protection at least three weeks apart.
By then more than two million people will be eligible, including all of groups one, two and three - everyone but the general population. From July vaccinations will be made available to the general population.
In the table, the Ministry of Health said the actual number of vaccines given could vary.
"The information provided in this table is based on DHB plans. We anticipate that there could be a potential variance of up to ten percent (plus or minus) in actual vaccination numbers. This is on the basis that, for example, an unplanned significant event could affect roll-out implementation or some DHBs might exceed their planned vaccination numbers," the plan said.
Nearly half of vaccines given by the end of June - 498,000 - are to go to Aucklanders. About 100,000 vaccines are expected to be given to Cantabrians, 78,000 in Waikato, 74,000 in the Southern DHB, and 72,000 in the Capital & Coast and Hutt Valley DHB areas. At the other end of the scale, about 10,000 each are expected to be administered in Whanganui and Taranaki DHBs.
As of yesterday 135,585 vaccines have been given. This is made up of around 105,000 people having had their first dose, and 30,000 being fully vaccinated having had both doses.
For the most recent week the number of vaccines given ahead of the plan - 36,301 were administered against 33,397 planned, nearly 9 percent higher than expected.
The Ministry of Health and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins are providing weekly updates on the vaccine roll-out.