[Source: TVNZ]

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appeared frustrated at interjections from across the House during a debate on COVID-19 testing in Parliament’s debating chamber this afternoon.

It began when National leader Judith Collins began pressing Ardern on why daily saliva testing of border workers hasn’t been widely implemented in New Zealand.

Ardern pushed back, saying it had begun saliva testing and more research into it was currently being undertaken by health authorities with a view to perhaps introducing it as a mandatory requirement for border workers rather than a voluntary one.

ACT leader David Seymour injected himself into the debate by asking whether the Prime Minister was aware of studies overseas which outline saliva testing for COVID-19 yields quicker results and is just as effective as nasal swab PCR tests.

Ardern answered that New Zealand is in a different situation than most countries, with a smaller Covid-19 outbreak meaning saliva testing may not yield the same results here.