Dr Rawiri Taonui | COVID Māori Update 30 April 2020 | Checkpoints and Police share same goal

Photo images supplied / Dr Rawiri Taonui

COVID Māori  Update 30 April 2020 | Checkpoints and Police share same goal
Dr Rawiri Taonui

New and Total Cases

There are 3 new cases today. One probable case has been re-designated as negative. Total cases are 1476. There are no new deaths. The total stays at 19. New cases are single digit for 12 consecutive days 9-9-5-6-3-5-5-9-5-3-2-2. We are close to the first day with zero cases.

Recovered and Active Cases

1241 or 84% of all cases have recovered. Every recovery is one less risk. There is a new low for active cases of 216. We are on track for active cases to fall below 50 by 11 May when the government will consider moving down from Level 3.

Testing

There were 5,867 tests yesterday. There are 134,570 in total. This is 26,914 per million.

The government and Ministry are preparing to move down from Level 3 on 11 May. In doing so, they are prioritising the macro-figures (new cases, recovered cases etc) and the need to reboot the economy. Ensuring there has been adequate testing of the historically vulnerable Māori and Pacific communities is the third priority.

Māori

There are no new Māori cases today. This is the 7th time in the last nine days that there have been no new cases. The total is still 126. The Ministry says Māori are 9% of all cases. We are 8.5% of all cases. Over the last 9 days, new cases have run 0-0-0-1-0-0-0-1-0. While the figures are positive, we need caution that against low levels of Māori testing in several DHBs.

Pacific Peoples

There is 1 new Pacific case today. The total is 76. Pacific are 5.1% of all cases. Over the last 9 days, new cases have run 1-1-1-1-3-1-0-1-1.

Māori and Pacific Percentage Cases

The following table presents Māori and Pacific cases alongside the Ministry of Health’s model of the population which allocates one identity per person for anyone who, for example, identifies as Māori and Pacific, and, Census 2018 which allows a person to self-identify with more than one ethnicity.

Māori and Pacific Data

The following are the principal metrics requiring honest and transparent data for Māori and Pacific communities:

1. Total Cases by DHB

The Ministry does not release the number of Māori and Pacific cases by DHB. They have this data. The Ministry has once released the percentage of positive Māori and Pacific cases by tests in each DHB. This figure does not include probable cases, the methodology is obscure and of less help than estimating the population of Fielding using the terminology ‘quite a few’.

2. National Testing Data

The Ministry periodically releases national and regional level testing data. The national data includes testing by ethnicity. The data for ethnic testing by DHB is unclear. The last release was 12 days ago. The national and regional data often do not match.

3. Deaths

The Ministry does not release deceased cases by ethnicity and DHB.

Māori and Pacific communities require transparent and up to date data to empower them to focus their already proven and considerable energies on priority areas.

Police and Checkpoints share same Goal

Police say that since the introduction of the Alert Level 4 restrictions to the end of ANZAC weekend there were 5627 breaches of the Civil Defence Emergency Act or the Health Act. 592 people have been or are being prosecuted, 4858 people have been warned and 177 youth referrals have been completed.

During ANZAC weekend, there were 852 breaches of which 87 people were prosecuted, 727 people have been warned and 38 youth referrals have been completed.

104 people were stopped on Day 1 of Alert Level 3. 21 will be prosecuted.

There were 742 complaints from the public against businesses mainly breaking social distancing rules, 61 are being followed up by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) as more businesses re-open.

Checkpoints

Māori checkpoints share the same goal. On the first day of Level 3, the South Taranaki Iwi Community Checkpoint reported 669 cars passing through, 37% were workers, 2% were international travellers, 61% did not meet Level 3 criteria for travel. Some were returning from long weekend holidays. Similarly, the Kaikohe checkpoint reported 2,000 vehicles passing through their checkpoint on Day 1 of Level 3, the vast majority in breach of Level 3.

Checkpoints are there to protect those living within local communities, Māori and Pākehā. They share the same goals as the Police. Most breaches are by Pākehā. In this regard, the Māori checkpoints are there to protect Pākehā from themselves.

Noho haumaru stay safe and self-sovereign, Dr Rawiri Taonui.

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