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Download AudioThe Health Ministry is keeping a close on a new Covid variant.
Omicron BA 5 has been detected at the border in travellers from South Africa.
John Whaanga, the Deputy Director-General Māori, says it may take several months to assess the severity of the variant, but the ministry is comfortable with current public health settings.
He says the ministry is taking into account the lessons it has learned so far from the Covid vaccination campaign about empowering whānau and communities.
“We need to work with our community-based providers including our Māori and Pasifika providers. We’re had success in the past not only with Covid but also with influenza so it’s important to make it as easy as possible for people to access services as whānau,” Mr Whaanga says.
If BA5 follows the trend of other variants it may be much more successful at spreading itself but won’t have as severe an impact on health morbidity and mortality as earlier variants.
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