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A concerning trend is emerging in the initial days of Auckland's childhood Covid vaccination rollout, with Māori and Pasifika levels less than half that of other ethnicities.
It comes after commitments from the heads of Auckland's vaccination programme and the Ministry of Health's vaccination equity manager that the childhood rollout would be equitable after lessons learned during the general rollout.
A spokesperson for Auckland's Northern Region Health Co-ordination Centre (NRHCC) says schools will become a key tool to closing any equity gaps in vaccination, with several school-focused events planned for February.
About 14 per cent of Auckland Māori children are vaccinated, compared with 26 per cent across all ethnicities. Photo / Dean Purcell
One Māori health researcher says targeting Māori and Pasifika through schools is the "right strategy", but wants Māori leaders and health providers front and centre in that mahi.
Children aged 5–11 were first able to receive paediatric vaccine doses on January 17. Data obtained by the NZ Herald shows 3485 of the 24,628 Māori aged 5 to 11 years old in Auckland have been vaccinated (14.2 per cent) to Monday, January 24.
The level for Pasifika was almost identical at 14.4 per cent - 4407 of 30,713 Auckland Pasifika children have had one dose.
For children of other ethnicities in Auckland, 32.5 per cent had received a vaccination - 33,384 out of 102,680. The data did not specify vaccination levels for ethnicities other than Māori and Pasifika.
Overall, 26.1 per cent of Auckland's 5-11 population had received a dose - 41,276 out of 158,021.
There was also significant variance between Auckland's three district health boards.
The percentage of Māori children vaccinated in Auckland DHB (20.8 per cent) was almost double that of Counties Manukau DHB (10.5 per cent).
Counties Manukau has over three times as many Māori children than neighbouring Auckland DHB. Even though the Counties Manukau vaccination rate for young Māori rate is lower, the actual number of first doses administered is higher than Auckland DHB — 1320 doses vs 817.
A similar trend was exhibited in the Pasifika data. More than double the number of vaccinations had occurred in Counties Manukau compared to Auckland, but thanks to a larger population, the percentage for the former (12.8 per cent) trailed the latter (15.8 per cent).
People queue at a pharmacy offering Covid-19 vaccinations in Balmoral, Auckland. Photo / Michael Craig
Vaccination levels across DHBs for other ethnicities outstripped Māori and Pasifika, reaching as high as 38.2 per cent for Auckland DHB.
In December, Auckland's health officials in charge of the city's vaccination programme recognised where the general rollout had performed inequitably, namely how Māori vaccination levels lagged well behind that of Pākehā.
They were confident the health system had learned from the experience, stating the 5-11 rollout would be more equitable.
"I'm absolutely confident, I think the settings we've got for Māori and Pasifika are right and they're going to be lapped up by the community," he said in December.
Health research analyst Dr Rawiri Taonui said that intention clearly hadn't translated into equitable outcomes in the rollout's initial stages.
On the risk Covid-19 posed to children, Taonui cited data from the United States which indicated childhood cases and hospitalisations had increased under Omicron.
Health researcher Dr Rawiri Taonui. Photo / Mark Mitchell
He also referenced how the overwhelming majority of children in hospital with Covid in New Zealand were Māori and Pasifika.
"If we're nine days in and [Māori/Pasifika levels] are less than half [other ethnicities] in terms of vaccination, that's a really serious situation," he said.
The NRHCC spokesman said in south Auckland, six large community vaccination events would be held with clusters of schools throughout February, in partnership with Māori and Pacific health providers.
The events - aimed at targeting Māori and Pasifika - would offer a range of vaccinations for not just children, but the whole whānau.
Taonui approved of the school-focused approach, but emphasised the need for Māori to direct resources appropriately.
"Sure, the schools might make a difference but we need Māori leadership in that area so that we're able to engage proactively with those lower decile schools where those Māori kids are concentrated."
The Herald has asked the Ministry for national 5-11 vaccination data by ethnicity and DHB. A spokesperson said the data would be shared "very soon".
