New Zealand health authorities have launched an investigation after a man allegedly got vaccinated against Covid-19 up to 10 times in one day, local media reported. It is thought the man was paid for the jabs on behalf of other people, news website Stuff reported on Saturday. The Ministry of Health was taking the matter seriously, Covid-19 vaccine and immunisation programme manager Astrid Koornneef said. “We are very concerned about this situation and are working with the appropriate agencies,” she told Stuff. Scientist reveals how New Zealand successfully contained Covid-19 “Having an inaccurate vaccination status not only puts you at risk, it puts your friends, whanau [family] and community at risk, and the healthcare teams that treat you now in the future,” Koornneef said. “If you know of someone who has had more vaccine doses than recommended they should seek clinical advice as soon as practicable.” University of Auckland vaccinologist and associate professor Helen Petousis-Harris said there was limited data on what might happen to someone who had 10 Covid-19 vaccines doses in a single day. “It’s a really dumb thing to do,” she said. ‘No jab, no job’: how New Zealand is getting tough on unvaccinated people In New Zealand people do not have to show identification when receiving the vaccine. Many of the country’s businesses and facilities use a domestic vaccination certificate that only allows fully vaccinated people access to places. While tightening the identification process for New Zealanders getting vaccine jabs might stop people from taking money to get shots for anti-vaxxers, health care officials worry that making the process more strict could discourage well-meaning people from getting vaccinated. “People who do not have a form of photo identification are disproportionately people in vulnerable groups – homeless or transient, the elderly, the young, people with disabilities,” a health ministry spokesperson said. “We don’t want to create barriers to their vaccination.” About 89 per cent of New Zealand residents are fully vaccinated. With a population of 5 million, the country has reported about 12,500 cases of Covid-19 and 46 deaths since the onset of the pandemic. Singapore approves jabs for children Singapore will start Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 years before the end of this year, its health ministry said late on Friday. The Southeast Asian city state has already vaccinated 87 per cent of its 5.5 million population, and authorities were rushing to get children vaccinated amid concerns over rising number of paediatric Covid-19 cases. Singapore reports first local Omicron case The dosage used for children will be one-third of that used in adults, similar to the United States. Currently, only the Pfizer-BioNTech “Comirnaty” vaccine has been approved for children’s usage in Singapore, the health ministry added. Singapore has also signed a new supply agreement with Pfizer-BioNTech for the Covid-19 vaccine , it said, without specifying how many vials will be supplied. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca on Friday said it would supply Singapore with its Covid-19 antibody cocktail – Evusheld – by the end of the year. Evusheld can act as another layer of protection, alongside vaccines, for people who are at high risk of Covid-19 infection, according to AstraZeneca’s statement. The company did not specify how many courses of the treatment would be supplied to the Southeast Asian city state. Australia urged to further loosen restrictions Australia must loosen Covid-19 restrictions to bolster its economic recovery, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Saturday, even as daily infections rose to a six-week high. “States need to keep calm and carry on. And not overreact to the Omicron variant ,” Frydenberg told reporters in Melbourne. Australia is one of the world’s most vaccinated countries, with nearly 90 per cent of people over 16 fully inoculated. Still, it announced 1,753 Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, up about 3 per cent in the last week and the highest daily total since October 29. Frydenberg said state and territory leaders must loosen curbs implemented to slow the spread of the virus, emphasising the need to accelerate Australia’s economic growth while he played down concerns about the Omicron variant. “Our economic recovery depends upon it. We have the vaccination rates now at record highs and that has proven to be a vital defence against Covid.” While some measures have been eased as vaccines were rolled out, interstate travel is still prohibited between several states and capacity limits in shops and restaurants are strictly enforced. Australia’s A$2 trillion (US$1.4 trillion) economy was badly damaged by lockdowns in the country’s two largest states with gross domestic product falling 1.9 per cent in the third quarter. Economists and policymakers expect Australia’s economy to rebound sharply in 2022 as it reopens its international borders, boosting tourism and the education sector. Australia last month delayed allowing foreign visa holders to enter until at least mid-December. Frydenberg said on Saturday a decision on whether to reopen would be made in the next few days. Vietnam to resume international flights Vietnam will resume some international flights starting January 1 in a bid to support the nation’s aviation and tourism industries, according to a statement on the government’s website late on Friday. The pilot programme will start with nine destinations, including Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore and San Francisco, according to the statement, without providing details on any required quarantines for people entering the country. Reporting by DPA, Reuters Bloomberg