The Government has signed its first purchase agreement for Covid-19 vaccines.

It is a deal that would get New Zealand around 1.5 million vaccines, or enough for 750,000 people.

All of that is subject to the vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech completing trials and passing approvals. 

Vaccinologist Helen Potousis-Harris told Kate Hawkesby it is a decent number of vaccines considering this is the first contract.

Ms Potousis-Harris says health workers could be one of the groups who get first pick.

"There's clearly the priority groups, and who gets it first will also be informed by how much data there is available from the trials. For example, the trials at first are done in certain age groups and then moving into older age groups, high-risk groups and then down into the children."

The Government says all going well they can roll out the vaccines within six months of 2021, which Ms Potousis-Harris says is possible.

"We've got lots to do to be ready for that, lots of activity has to occur between now and then," she adds.