April 05, 2020
Hauora keen for greater role in virus tracking
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The head of Te Hauora o Ngāti Hauā is disappointed the district health board isn’t using the iwi health service to help track and manage the Matamata COVID-19 cluster.
The cluster stems from a St Patrick’s Day party at the Redoubt Bar.
Darrin Haimona says at least five of the 56 people in the cluster are Māori, and they informed the hauora as part of a process of warning relatives.
The number may rise as more testing is done, but so far the cases are mild.
He says the hauora could help with contact tracking and case management, but it hasn’t been asked.
“We as a community would know more about our community, where we engage, where we contact, and who is likely to come at risk. All of these whānau actually let us know so we can protect ourselves in the best way we can or keep ourselves informed, but moving forward it would be really good to have that communication directly with us so that we can be part of the solution,” Mr Haimona says.
Darrin Haimona from Te Hauora o Ngāti Hauā.
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