Covid-19 killing Māori and Pasifika at disproportionate rate

As our Covid-19 death toll rises, Māori and Pasifika are dying at an alarmingly disproportionate rate.

Collectively they make up 37% of all deaths across the pandemic, and Pasifika have the highest death rate per 100,000 cases than any other ethnic group in the Omicron outbreak.

As Covid-19 restrictions ease across Aotearoa, nothing changes for frontline workers like Lorraine Perry from Te Whānau O Waipareira.

"It's been challenging, we're' fatigued, we're all tired, there's a lot of driving around, we're driving all over the place, all over Auckland," she said.

That's because the demand for support from infected whānau, including staff, is as great as ever.

And the growing death toll among Māori is weighing heavily.

"I think a lot of whānau will still be isolating and staying at home, not going out, waiting until the numbers go down, because they're all a bit scared, you know? Especially the nannies."

Māori make up 19% of all fatalities across the pandemic, it's about the same rate for Pasifika.

The majority of Covid-19 deaths among those under the age of 60 have also been Māori.

Māori health workers, including Te Whānau o Waipareira Clinical lead Tracey Peterson, are acutely aware of this toll and there's no room for complacency.

"We got a bit of a break, but there is a lot of exhaustion, only because we feel that weight of being able to be there for our people," she said.

"If we're not going to do it, there' will be no one else."

They've become a lifeline for many whānau, including those too whakamā or ashamed to reach out to mainstream services.

"Even though a lot of whānau do have access to the GP they don't normal engage with those services. We feel like we're their first point of contact."

Pasifika have the highest death rate in the Omicron outbreak per 100,000 cases, at 38%.

They make up less than 9% of the population.

"When you've been distant to the reality of Covid-19, to the deaths, to the seriousness of it, you start to feel a little bit distant from it," said Manukau Ward Councillor Efeso Collins.

"The reality for our people is that this has been very real, we know the concern, we know the pain."