The Government says it's begun writing the cheques for a Covid-19 vaccine.

Some countries have already begun administering vaccinations, but New Zealand's vaccine timetable isn't expected to begin until the end of March.

Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson told Tim Dower rolling out a vaccine is a priority, but he says there are other countries in worse positions than us.

But he says they will have a vaccine in place as soon as possible.

Asked about NZ's economy, he says although the country is doing well, we are still in challenging times.

'As we see what's happening around the world, Covid will still be a major issue for New Zealand to deal with in 2021."

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