Pharmacist prescribers Linda Bryant and Leanne Te Karu discuss positive polypharmacy for heart failure. Current evidence shows the intensive implementation of four medications offers the greatest benefit to most patients with heart failure, with significant reductions in cardiovascular mortality, heart failure hospitalisations and all-cause mortality
Rapid antigen tests the latest COVID-related product to see a surge in imports
Rapid antigen tests the latest COVID-related product to see a surge in imports
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Between January 2020 and February 2022 imports of commodities including vaccines and other blood components, diagnostic reagents, textiles (includes facemasks), soaps, non-soap cleansers, plastic articles (includes facemasks), and toilet paper peaked significantly above their 2019 values.
In February 2022 imports of diagnostic reagents, including COVID-19 RATs, reached $100 million, more than seven times the value of the highest 2019 month.
Imports of vaccines and other blood components reached $122 million in October 2021, a 171 percent increase above the highest month in 2019.
Textile facemask imports reached $90 million in May 2020, almost 10 times the value of the highest month seen in 2019.
"Recent months have seen a large increase in supply of RATs and vaccines, to help fight this virus," international trade manager Alasdair Allen said.
"These are the latest in a series of jumps in imports directly attributable to COVID-19, reflecting both practical necessities and social trends."
In mid-2020 several commodities saw similar large increases, albeit from a smaller base, including plastic articles (includes facemasks), soaps, non-soap cleansers, toilet paper, and sanitiser.
In May 2020 imports outpaced any month in 2019 for the following commodities:
plastic article imports, including facemasks – $41 million (up 33 percent on the highest month in 2019)
non-soap cleansers – $28 million (up 46 percent on the highest month in 2019)
soap imports – $21 million (up 147 percent on the highest month in 2019)
sanitisers – $7.8 million (up 448 percent on the highest month in 2019).
In June 2020 imports of toilet paper reached $15 million, a 50 percent increase above the highest month of imports seen in 2019.
Overseas merchandise trade: February 2022 provides more details on major imports in February 2022.
The pandemic has also affected New Zealand’s exports, but to a lesser degree.
Exports of respiration apparatus increased above their 2019 value. In December 2020, exports reached $142 million, a 152 percent increase above the highest month in 2019.