In March 2020, New Zealand had three confirmed cases of COVID-19, panic buying had begun, and no one knew what to expect next. Had the virus run the same course as it did in the US and UK, by March 2023 there would have been more than 17,000 fatalities. Instead, Aotearoa achieved one of the lowest health burdens in the world, while enduring fewer restrictions than almost any other country in the OECD. How did we get here? And at what cost?
In The Covid Response, Shaun Hendy offers an insider’s account of New Zealand’s science-driven strategy for confronting the global pandemic. As his team at Te Pūnaha Matatini springs into action, he takes us behind the scenes in real time. He unpacks the science informing rapid, high-stakes decisions, evaluating the costs of those decisions and asking what lessons they offer for the future.
‘A remarkable account of science in a time of crisis. Shaun Hendy revisits the brave calls, teamwork and the mathematical marathon that saved tens of thousands of lives – and the pandemic lessons we risk forgetting.’
— Jamie Morton, science reporter, NZ Herald