As New Zealand readies itself for AI-assisted medical treatment targeted to individuals, officials need to ensure the benefits outweigh the risks.
- Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Environmental Health, University of Canterbury
If surveillance focuses only on diseases that have already emerged, we’ll remain behind the curve. Better prediction of future pandemics will need to integrate animal, planetary and human health.
New Zealand health authorities were quick to react to the threat of a COVID-19 outbreak and managed to avoid community transmission, but the unique nature of how the virus spreads also played a role.
As New Zealand prepares to ease its lockdown from April 28, new COVID-19 clusters are likely to emerge – but a combination of testing and contact tracing should be able to stamp out major outbreaks.
New Zealand will begin easing its national lockdown from next Tuesday, after an extra five days of some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 restrictions. Six NZ experts give their take on the news.
Despite a comprehensive lockdown, New Zealanders should expect the number of people with coronavirus infections to rise first, before they come down again.
Without a coronavirus vaccine, a herd immunity strategy would simply lead to thousands of unnecessary deaths.
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