August 20, 2021
First dose for Maori essential to blunt delta impact
Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā co-chair Rawiri McKree Jansen says the current COVID outbreak could be hard to contain, despite progress identifying the initial source.
There are now more than 100 locations of interest across Auckland, including Avondale, Northcote and Lynfield high schools, churches, supermarkets, bars and restaurants.
Dr Jansen says it will be another couple of days to understand how quickly it is spreading.
But he says it’s time for the Health Ministry to heed the advice of Māori experts about vaccinating the most vulnerable populations.
"Get this done now – first doses for all Māori and Pacific over the age of 12 starting now. Other things can pause. We can dial back on second doses for people, we can hold that, that will be okay. We've got to get as many doses done as we can right now," Dr Jansen says.
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