B.1 Introductio­n

The purpose of this appendix is to present an epidemiological overview of COVID-19 and its health impacts in Aotearoa New Zealand, focusing on the period from 2020 to 2022.

This overview illustrates the trajectory and evolution of the pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand and the timing of key policy interventions, including the application of major public health and social measures (such as lockdowns) and the rollout of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme. Several figures from this appendix are also presented in the findings section of the main report. The account here provides greater technical detail and a more comprehensive range of figures and tables to complement the evidence used in the main report.

A note on the graphs: The terms of reference for this Royal Commission of Inquiry are for the decisions, actions, policies and programmes to October 2022. However, it takes time for the impact of decisions up to October 2022 to play out in terms of health and social impacts. Therefore, where possible, the timeline for these graphs extends to the end of 2023.