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August 23, 2021
Community champions sought to counter COVID lies
Waatea Team
Posted On August 23, 2021
The Health Ministry’s senior Māori official says battling misinformation is a major part of its Māori COVID strategy.
John Whaanga, the deputy director for Māori health, says so far 156,000 Māori have had their first dose of the vaccine and 92,000 are now fully vaccinated.
He says Māori over 55 have received their vaccines at a similar rate to non-Maori.
The programme is starting to pick up momentum as eligibility extends to younger age bands, which include the bulk of the Māori population.
He says the ministry is talking to iwi and other groups about how they can help get the message out.
“There’s a hell of a lot of misinformation at the moment. It’s just a daily barrage on social media of false information and I think it’s important we counter that, not by giving it any life but by getting good information out there that people understand and with the kinds of community champions and leadership they know and will listen to,” Mr Whaanga says.
The ministry is heeding criticism from Māori professionals over its vaccination rollout strategy.
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