Comirnaty (Pfizer) continues to be the main COVID-19 vaccine used in New Zealand. Nuvaxovid (Novavax) is an alternative vaccine for those who cannot have the Pfizer vaccine or people who want to have a different COVID-19 vaccine. Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) was available in New Zealand before Nuvaxovid arrived, but is no longer available in New Zealand.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, is a two-dose messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine, with at least 21 days between dose 1 and dose 2. The vaccine does not contain any live virus or any parts taken from a dead virus.
AstraZeneca is a two-dose viral vector COVID-19 vaccine, with a 4 to 12-week gap between dose 1 and dose 2. These types of vaccines use harmless viruses as a mode of transport for genetic material to be delivered into our cells. The virus vector used in this vaccine has been modified so that it cannot replicate. It is a non-live vaccine.
COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen is a single-dose vaccine that protects against COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Find out more about these vaccines through the ‘COVID-19 vaccines in NZ’ area of the website or the links below.
The Comirnaty mRNA (Pfizer/BioNTech) vaccine:
How Comirnaty is made and what it contains
How the Comirnaty vaccine works and the protection it provides
Nuvaxovid (Novavax) vaccine:
Nuvaxovid resources and information page
Other COVID-19 vaccines:
AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria vaccine is no longer available in NZ