Covid-19: Pasifika, Māori vaccination rates concerning, expert says

Wednesday, 7 April 2021

Pasifika health leaders are discussing how to best combat misinformation and increase confidence in the Covid-19 vaccines.

Pasifika and Māori people make up only 20 per cent of the people who have received Covid-19 vaccinations so far – and that is concerning, a Pacific leader and a health expert say.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that as of midnight on March 23, a total of 41,477 doses of Pfizer vaccine had been administered in New Zealand.

Fewer than 9000 of those doses have gone to Pasifika and Māori people.

Fewer than 9000 of the 41,477 doses of vaccine administered so far have gone to Māori and Pacific peoples. (File photo)

A Ministry of Health spokesperson said the vaccinations administered so far were to border workers, frontline staff and their families.

**READ MORE:

Auckland councillor Efeso Collins says vaccine information should be made available using the “Pacific network” and through trusted people.

* Covid-19: Nurses union calls for Govt to establish vaccine programme for Pasifika

* Covid-19: Not prioritising vaccine rollout plan by ethnicity is unfair, experts say

* Covid-19: Pasifika vaccine concerns valid but information key to easing fears - expert

Border workers were the first people in New Zealand to be vaccinated against Covid-19, in Auckland on February 20, 2021.

As of the 2018 Census, the Māori population was 775,836, or 16.5 per cent of the general population. However, it is thought to have grown by about 75,000 since, to 850,500, Stats NZ said.

Census figures also showed Pasifika people, of whom there were 381,642, made up 8.1 per cent of the total population.

Manukau ward councillor Efeso Collins said the low numbers in Pasifika and Māori communities showed there was vaccine hesitancy in the two vulnerable groups.

Dr Rhys Jones says the paediatric vaccine will give the Government a chance to put equity at the centre of that roll-out, by prioritising Māori children first.

He has spoken in the past about his disappointment over the ministry’s approach to connecting with Māori and Pasifika communities during the roll-out.

“The data may sound like a lot but it continues to worry me, I was expecting a higher uptake by now,” Collins said.

“The roll-out should have included South Auckland as a blanket but the timid decision by the Government for people over 65 years totally missed the mark and excludes the most vulnerable communities.”

University of Auckland senior health lecturer Rhys Jones (Ngāti Kahungunu) said he had expected more Māori and Pasifika people to be vaccinated by now.

He said he did not know the exact proportion of frontline and border workers who are Māori and Pasifika, so it was hard to interpret the numbers but “you would expect more at this point in time”.

“Either they are not adequately capturing Māori and Pasifika in those priority groups, or the vaccine is not reaching them to the extent that they should – in the roll-out, communication or information.”

Collins said he believed the low proportion of Māori and Pasifika among those who have been vaccinated was down to reach.

He did not see the Ministry of Health vaccination campaign being effective in the communities, he said.

He praised the efforts of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples for holding regular fonos with Pacific leaders, and Pacific and social health organisations, to try to encourage uptake.

“But they need to widen the reach. The information encouraging vaccination should trickle down to these communities, in the proper channels.”

The ministry said the vaccination information campaign was launched on March 13, with full page advertisements in all major daily newspapers.

Radio advertising began to air the week from March 15, while iwi and Pacific radio stations came online from March 22.

A range of online resources had also been made available in multiple languages.

A spokeswoman said that as the Covid-19 vaccine programme continued to roll out, the advertising campaign would gain momentum, with a focus on encouraging all of Aotearoa to get immunised.

“We will be working with a range of agencies to ensure the campaign resonates with different audiences, including Māori and Pacific peoples,” she said.

“The ministry recognises that Māori and Pacific providers hold trusted relationships with the whānau they serve, and these providers will play a crucial role in helping to maximise uptake and achieve equitable coverage for Māori and Pacific peoples.”

How is the vaccine roll-out broken down?

Group 1 – border, MIQ workers

About 50,000 border and MIQ workers and their household contacts.

This started in February and the “vast bulk” was to be completed in March, with at least one dose administered.

Group 2 – frontline health, some priority groups

About 480,000 frontline workers and people living in high-risk settings.

This starts with 57,000 healthcare workers on the frontline in the community, through to healthcare workers and some priority populations.

This includes anyone who lives in the Counties Manukau DHB area, aged 65 and older or who have an underlying health condition.

It also includes people in residential aged-care facilities and older people living in a family environment that poses a similar risk to aged-care homes.

Group 3 – other ‘priority’ groups

The third round of the roll-out will be for all other people aged 75 or older, then 65 years old and over, then those with pre-existing health conditions which include heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, respiratory conditions, kidney disease, and cancer.

This group covers about 1.7 million people who are at higher risk if they catch Covid-19.

This is planned to start in May.

Group 4 – the rest of the country

This covers the remainder of the general population – about 2 million people.

The vaccine roll-out for these people will start in July.