Covid-19: Not prioritising vaccine rollout plan by ethnicity is unfair, experts say

An indigenous health expert is calling the government's vaccine roll-out plan unfair to Māori and Pasifika, who are at higher risk of contracting Covid-19.

University of Auckland senior health lecturer, Rhys Jones (Ngāti Kahungunu), criticised the government’s vaccine plan, which prioritised by age and those with pre-existing conditions.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced on Wednesday that the vaccine rollout from May will be carved into two groups – people over 65 years old and those with health conditions in south Auckland and the rest of the country, and the general population.

Another health expert, Shaun Hendy, who played a pivotal role in New Zealand's Covid-19 response by mapping, said it’s not too late for government to re-think its plan and prioritise Māori and Pasifika.

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Jones said to prioritise by age, when it’s been proven that the life expectancy of Māori and Pasifika is less than Pākeha, is “racist”.

“The way the priority of population has been defined is extremely inequitable, it doesn’t take into account the risks of different ethnic groups,” Jones said.

“And if you’re talking about older people, predominantly Māori and Pasifika are less likely to reach that age, which means it privileges only the Pākeha population.”

Census 2018 statistics revealed that Pacific and Māori ethnic group populations were much younger than the European ethnic group population.

The median age for Pasifika was 23.4 years and 25.4 years for Māori. It was 41.4 years for European.

The 65 years age-eligibility would mean almost 20 per cent of Pākeha will be offered the vaccine, compared to less than six per cent of Māori and Pasifika.

Jones said government must have received advice to consider an option that was ethnic-specific, which factored in different age cut-offs that reflected these differences.

“But they have chosen not to go with those options, for whatever reason, because often policies and intervention perceived as ethnic-specific may not be acceptable to many in the general population.

“They have chosen to ignore it, and made a decision that is politically expedient.”

Hendy, who offered advice to the government on the rollout plan, said he was frustrated that Māori and Pacific people weren’t prioritised.

He said he understood there may be some logistical issues, like the distribution of vaccine in rural areas, but studies have proven these two ethnic groups are most at risk.

A recent study found Māori and Pacific people were more likely to be hospitalised for Covid-19 due to underlying health conditions, and at risk of getting the virus because of overcrowded and poor housing conditions.

Government had until May to make these adjustments and shouldn’t wait until then, or another coronavirus outbreak, to make this happen, he said.

“There are opportunities to adjust their scheduling and re-programme it. It is not too late, there is flexibility in the rollout framework to reconsider prioritisation,” Hendy said.

The Ministry of Health was approached for comment.