As the Covid pandemic increasingly becomes a global race between vaccines and the Delta variant, a new study highlights the risk of the virus for Māori and Pasifika.
A boat carrying two mariners with Covid-19 has been offered access to quarantine anchorage by the Ports of Auckland.
While only two sailors on the Viking Bay vessel have tested positive for the virus so far, more crew members are now displaying symptoms.
One of Viking Bay cases has been confirmed as having the highly infectious Delta variant , which continues to drive outbreaks around the world.
Fans have now been banned from the upcoming Tokyo Olympics after a state of emergency was declared in the city to contain rising Covid cases.
The US is also urging people to get vaccinated as the Delta variant sees cases rising in nearly half of its states .
Meanwhile, New South Wales has recorded another 38 community cases as they struggle with their own Delta outbreak.
And in Fiji, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has told the country it’s compulsory for all workers to get the Covid vaccine as cases continue to climb there.
With the global death toll from Covid-19 passing the 4 million mark yesterday, it’s increasingly clear the pandemic has become a race between vaccines and the Delta variant .
It comes as a new study shows Māori and Pasifika are more likely to fall severely ill from Covid-19, which researchers say should inform vaccine prioritisation here .
The study examined New Zealand’s Covid outbreaks throughout 2020 and found Māori are 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalised for the virus, while Pasifika are three times more likely.
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Supply and labour shortages bite
Nearly 200 desperately needed social housing units in Hastings have been delayed until next year due to supply chain disruptions and labour shortages.
Housing Minister Megan Woods says most construction processes have faced some type of delay since 2019 but advocates say patience is wearing thin with more than 700 people on the social housing waitlist in Hastings alone.
Meanwhile, property developers are calling for a reversal of the Government’s proposed interest deductibility changes.
The new policy aims to disincentivise investors from purchasing large parts of the housing supply, tipping the scale towards first home buyers.
But in an open letter to ministers this morning, the Property Council says proposed changes will limit New Zealand’s housing supply even further.
Bread set for big change
Folic acid will soon be added to bread to protect babies from neural tube defects like spina bifida, the Government says.
Food Safety Minister Ayesha Verrall says low folate levels in mothers can cause neural tube defects that result in the death of babies or life-long disability.
She says putting folic acid in bread is a safe way to ensure women increase their folate levels.
At least 80 other countries already fortify their bread with folic acid, including the US, Canada, and Australia.
In New Zealand, organic and non-wheat flour will be exempt from fortification, offering a choice to Kiwis who don’t want to consume folic acid.
RSV impacts spread
As a wave of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continues to spread through the country’s schools and early learning centres, it’s not just children being forced to call in sick.
The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) told 1 NEWS the spike in infections is “definitely having an impact” on staff too . Both teachers and children are being encouraged to stay home if sick.
A doctor at Starship is also urging parents to care for their child as best they can first if they contract RSV.
With hospitals already facing unprecedented demand, Dr Mike Shepherd says worried parents should go to their GP. He says hospitals should only be seeing severe cases of RSV where children are having difficulty breathing or feeding.
Inquiry into NZ's 'truancy crisis'
MPs have launched an inquiry into New Zealand's rising student absences .
Official figures in May showed more than 60,000 students were classified as chronically absent, with almost 40 per cent of pupils not going to school regularly.
Parliament's education committee says school attendance has been dropping since 2015 across "all regions, all ethnicities, all deciles and all year levels".
Their inquiry into the issue is due to be completed by the end of November.
Other news of note this morning:
- The assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moïse has been followed by a gunfight in which police killed seven suspects and detained six others.
- Former South African president Jacob Zuma has turned himself over to police to begin serving a 15-month prison term.
- More than 1 billion marine animals are believed to have died during Canada’s record heatwave last week, with climate scientists warning the world needs to speed up its preparations for extreme heat .
- Government officials recommended Labour scrap its plans for Fair Pay Agreements and strengthen the existing law instead, newly released documents show .
- A new poll has seen ACT leader David Seymour overtake National’s Judith Collins as preferred Prime Minister.
- The National Party gifted one of its speaking spots in a Parliamentary debate on suicide yesterday to Labour’s Louisa Wall after her own party overlooked her .
- A video of an incident at a controversial marina development on Waiheke Island appears to show a protester being kicked in the face .
- Seven Sharp has found potentially the worst place in New Zealand to run out of fuel .
- And Denmark may have crashed out of the European Championships yesterday, but the country is now home to the world’s tallest sandcastle . So, swings and roundabouts and all that.
And finally...
Facebook community pages have become the common method for keeping tabs on neighbourhood activity – but as one Hamilton mum has found out, the locals can sometimes be a little too vigilant .
Karina Missen became the object of her neighbours’ suspicion after she circled streets in her car, hoping her two-month-old baby might go to sleep.
She says she was “mortified” at having her car plastered all over the local community page but was heartened by residents’ apologetic response when she explained what she was doing.
So, all’s well that ends well. But as you’re going about your own business this weekend, remember – the community Facebook page is always watching.
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