A public health expert says more work is needed to protect both Māori and Pasifika from Covid-19, especially when it comes to vaccination.
That’s in light of the fact Pasifika now account for almost 15% of New Zealand’s Covid-19 death toll, which is now over 600.
However, the community makes up only 8% of New Zealand’s population.
Dr Colin Tukuitonga, from the Pacific Expert Advisory Group, told Breakfast that while the way deaths are now registered in New Zealand is complex, he believes the over-representation of Pasifika in the toll is probably a true reflection of the situation.
"Remember, at one time we [Pasifika] were around 50% of the cases, particularly in Auckland," he says.
"And if we recall, hospital admissions and deaths come some weeks after the cases."
Tukuitonga believes that while the statistics are concerning, they aren’t really that surprising.
"Māori and Pasifika do bear the brunt of pandemics and it’s the same all the time."
He referenced 1918 and the Spanish flu pandemic as another example.
"In other words, I would have hoped that we would have learnt by now."
Overall, he describes New Zealand’s response to the Covid pandemic as "world-class" and "fantastic".
However, Tukuitonga says the vaccine rollout to Māori and Pasifika has been a problem throughout the pandemic and continues to be so.
"We’re still at a point where the booster uptake, that's required for protection against Omicron, is still not where we want it to be," he says.
"I would have expected and would like additional effort and resources, support, to get the boosters lifted.
READ MORE: Covid-19 killing Māori and Pasifika at disproportionate rate
"It is, of course, difficult for everyone in Aotearoa. But nevertheless, I think that's something we need to do to try and mitigate the cases and admissions that we see."
Tukuitonga says significant lifts in vaccine rates among Māori and Pasifika have only come when the community has been engaged.
However, this hasn’t yet happened for the Omicron variant.
“We took the foot off the pedal and now we see our booster rates lingering behind the rest of Aotearoa," he said.
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