Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: I've been heartened by the positive reception of local experts. Arindam Basu, associate professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University of Canterbury described the announcement as "an excellent and welcome move", saying, "additional infectious disease research funding focused on COVID-19 will be immensely beneficial to everyone." Epidemiologist Dr Amanda Kvalsvig from the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, also welcomed the announcement, saying it "has the potential to make a huge difference [to] the lives of New Zealanders.", and immunologist Professor Graham Le Gros, director of the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research and programme director of the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand said, "This is very good news and a much needed investment in the skill-sets and technologies that will be needed to protect New Zealand against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."