Te Hau Āwhiowhio ō Otangarei Health Centre practice manager Charlee Kelly-Kaipo leads the Ōtangarei Covid testing site on Tuesday. Photo / Tania Whyte
Te Hau Āwhiowhio ō Otangarei Health Centre practice manager Charlee Kelly-Kaipo leads the Ōtangarei Covid testing site on Tuesday. Photo / Tania Whyte
Whangārei's least vaccinated suburb is rolling up its sleeves after a border worker previously in Auckland was confirmed as the neighbourhood's first Covid case.
The community of Ōtangarei recently made positive headlines with their hearty vaccination efforts that saw 45 per cent of people with one dose of the vaccine lift to 71 per cent in seven days.
But Te Hau Āwhiowhio ō Ōtangarei Trust chief executive Martin Kaipo says they face a "testing time" ahead as only 51 per cent of people are fully vaccinated.
"We gotta do what we gotta do. This is about life. Life for today, for the next generation and for their next generation. If we don't stop it now, there is no future."
The man had been working in Auckland before he returned home to Ōtangarei for the week. He was confirmed as the suburb's first Covid case late on Monday afternoon.
Test results are pending for the 10 family members who live in the same household – some of whom are reportedly showing signs of the virus.
There were four new cases in Northland yesterday, three in Kaikohe and one in Hikurangi. All were already isolating and are linked to a current case
The Countdown Regent in Whangārei was the only addition to the Northland locations of interest.
Anyone in the store on November 19 between 1.45pm and 2.45pm was instructed to monitor symptoms for 10 days and get tested if they developed.
There has been 69 Covid cases in Northland in the latest outbreak, 27 of those cases remain active. 42 cases have been released from isolation.
The person in Whangārei Hospital with the virus was discharged on Tuesday.
Despite Ōtangarei officially being added to the Delta map, Kaipo said hysteria had yet to take hold.
Te Hau Āwhiowhio ō Otangarei Trust chief executive Martin Kaipo says their organisation is ready to tackle any Covid outbreak within the community. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Health authorities and the Ōtangarei Trust were tirelessly gathering details of the man's movements and working to confirm whether he had attended any local events.
The trust's clinical team, Māori health provider contacts, social workers and navigators had mobilised to support both the family and any others involved in the Ōtangarei outbreak.
Kaipo said there were fears case numbers could grow because of how many family members lived with him or visited the house daily.
"Are we ready? I think our organisation is well and truly ready. Is Ōtangarei ready? I don't think so."
A "very frustrating" small pocket of people needed to shed their blase attitudes caused by propaganda and misinformation, he said.
"We've had a better response from gang members than we've had from those small pockets. They're out there getting vaccinated."
"At the end of the day, for them, it's about families – the preservation of families as well as themselves."
Kaipo pointed to systemic frameworks that disadvantage Māori and their mistrust – tracing back to the Treaty of Waitangi - as issues that hampered the community's Covid response.
"They've built a resistance of participating and belonging among whānau."
Feelings amplified as roughly 70 to 80 per cent of the estimated 2500 people living in Ōtangarei were Māori, he said.
"The dynamics are astronomical here but when it comes to trauma or something harmful – threats and danger – we seem to kick it in together."
"But it has to wait until something's really whacking you in the head before you start to respond."
Kaipo praised Ōtangarei's young people and their supportive families for leading the way in terms of vaccination.
"They're seeing the bigger picture and wellness in a way that says we need to do this to keep each other safe and live."
A drive-through testing centre at the City Rugby Club Rooms in Ōtangarei yesterday saw a steady flow of people undergo a Covid test.
The trust run site will not operate on Wednesday but locals are able to get a Covid test or vaccination at the Hau Āwhiowhio ō Otangarei Health Centre on William Jones Dr.
