As Covid community cases rise in Auckland and the country remains locked at different alert levels, our neighbours in Melbourne have just come out of a lengthy lockdown with around 70% vaccinated.
Despite this, rising community cases continue to cause alarm. Marama T-Pole spoke to community leader Rita Seumanutafa and Rotuman ICU doctor Matt Bray about their concerns for Pacific people.
Australia does not desegregate racial data on Covid-19 cases other than for its indigenous population. But anecdotally, Dr Bray says Pacific people are overrepresented in hospital admissions.
“That’s partly because of the demography of the suburbs they live in, the professions that they’re in,” says Bray.
“And also, the reality is a bit of a biological predisposition to more severe Covid in Pasifika people because of NCDs, because of diabetes, because of heart disease, asthma, kidney disease…
“This all is a perfect storm, if you like, for Pasifika people to be disproportionately represented in the hospital population. It’s the same in Auckland; it’s the same in California. Where our enclaves are, disappointingly, we are overrepresented in Covid cases.”
Watch the full talanoa on Tagata Pasifika above.
