Michael Baker, University of Otago; Amanda Kvalsvig, University of Otago, and Nick Wilson, University of Otago
This week marks six months since New Zealand's first COVID-19 case was identified on February 26.
So far New Zealand has been largely in reactive mode, initially during the first elimination stage which finished in early June and now in response to the ongoing Auckland outbreak.
Given the vigorous response to controlling this current cluster, we have a good chance of eliminating community transmission again.
But to maximise our protection against future border control failures and outbreaks, we argue it is time to take a far more strategic approach to this pandemic — and we suggest five key steps New Zealand should take.
Strengths and weaknesses of New Zealand's response
An effective ongoing response to COVID-19 is an all-of-government challenge. It requires seamless coordination of scientific input, policy design and implementation.
An early shift from a mitigation to an elimination strategy was a major strength of New Zealand's response.
