According to a recent journal from the American Medical Association, a far greater proportion of the American population have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ardern, 40, promised supporters she would build an economy that works for everyone, create jobs, train people, protect the environment and address climate challenges and social inequalities.
The ministry also said that as of Saturday, COVID-19 patients occupied 7,612 hospital beds and were using 604 ventilators, compared with 6,980 and 540 respectively a day earlier.
"If in the end we have to take kids out for two weeks, calm it all down and then start, ideally embed it in a much more rigorous testing regime, then that's maybe what we may have to do," he added.
The Pfizer news, published in a letter from its chief executive on its website, lifted the US stock market and the company's shares.
So let me be clear, assuming positive data, Pfizer will apply for Emergency Authorization Use in the US soon after the safety milestone is achieved in the third week of November.
On Friday, former President of the Indian National Congress, criticised the Modi-led BJP government over its abysmal handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact on the Indian economy.
In Europe, some countries were reviving curfews and lockdowns to fight a surge in new coronavirus cases, with Britain imposing tougher COVID-19 restrictions in London on Friday.
"We know that Russia has a track record in this area," he told Sky News when asked about a Times newspaper report that there was a Russian campaign to undermine an Oxford University vaccine trial.
In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases had reached 351,750, while deaths had increased to 6,531, with the Philippines recording the second highest number of casualties in Southeast Asia.
In the last 10 days the number of new infections has accelerated from around 300 a day to reach 793 on Thursday, part of a surge in infections across Europe with the approach of winter.