Ngati Hine Health Trust CEO Geoff Milner encouraged the community to consider flu and MMR vaccinations. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Ngati Hine Health Trust CEO Geoff Milner encouraged the community to consider flu and MMR vaccinations. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Northland's largest Māori health provider is encouraging the community to consider other immunisations as demand for the Covid-19 vaccine slows.
After reaching 90.1 per cent for the first dose, the percentage of Northlanders who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 continues to hover at 88.1 per cent.
According to data fromthe Ministry of Health another 3139 people aged 12 and over have yet to receive their second shot to reach 90 per cent vaccination in Northland – 1626 of those are Māori.
Māori are a step further from reaching the Government benchmark; 86.8 per cent have had their first dose and 82.9 per cent have two doses.
Information recently obtained by the Northern Advocate showed that Northland District Health Board and Northland Māori health providers received nearly $10.9m for the vaccination rollout since December 2020.
In relation to its Māori population, Northland continued to receive near equal funding compared with other districts.
For example, a 2020 Māori health funding package for the four northern DHBs, Auckland, Counties Manukau, Northland and Waitematā saw Northland receiving 33.8 per cent of the total funds while Tai Tokerau Māori make up 27.6 per cent of the Māori population between the four districts.
To prepare for the vaccination rollout in April 2021, the Government rolled out $33.4m in funding across New Zealand with Northland DHB and Māori health providers receiving $2.66m.
That is 8 per cent of the funding while Northland Māori make up 8.8 per cent of New Zealand's eligible population.
Māori health providers previously said that funding wasn't the biggest issue during the vaccination rollout but a limited workforce was.
Administrators Kristi Barabarich and Jasmine Woods of Ngati Hine Health Trust supporting the vaccination service run by the Māori health provider. Photo / Tania Whyte
Ngāti Hine Health Trust continues to provide Covid vaccines for people aged 5 and over through their mobile clinics throughout Whangārei and the Mid North but chief executive Geoff Milner said the uptake for the Covid vaccine has slowed right down.
"The demand is a trickle across Northland but we continue to make the vaccine available.
"With the start of the flu season, our offering has broadened. We also provide flu and MMR [measles, mumps, rubella] vaccines which are in much higher demand."
Flu vaccines are free of charge for all Māori aged 50 and over, or non-Māori aged 65 and over.
"I would encourage our community to think more broadly than Omicron."
Milner said infectious diseases like influenza and measles had been side-lined throughout the pandemic and it was worth considering preventative measures against those.
