𝕍𝕒𝕔𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕕𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕆𝕞𝕚𝕔𝕣𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜, 𝕤𝕥𝕦𝕕𝕪 𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤

𝔸 𝕟𝕖𝕨 𝕤𝕥𝕦𝕕𝕪 𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕧𝕒𝕔𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝟜𝟘𝟘𝟘 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝟙𝟚,𝟘𝟘𝟘 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕤 𝕕𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕆𝕞𝕚𝕔𝕣𝕠𝕟 𝕡𝕙𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕-𝟙𝟡 𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕔.

T

he paper, published in the medical journal Vaccine, models scenarios with different levels of vaccine coverage in the 18 months from January 2022.

The authors say the elimination strategy meant most people were able to be vaccinated before being exposed to the virus.

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The researchers say it meant there were between 34,000 and 56,000 fewer hospitalisations over the period.

However, co-author and Covid-19 researcher professor Michael Plank said if Māori vaccination rates had been on par with Pākehā, up to a quarter of the nearly 300 Māori who died would still be alive. 

During the Omicron period, 292 Māori died of the virus.

Prof Plank said the findings showed equity between Māori and non-Māori needed to be a key focus of future vaccination programmes.

The study concluded Covid-19 vaccination greatly reduced the burden on the health system in New Zealand.

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Aotearoa had one of the lowest pandemic mortality rates in the world.

The study work was partly funded by the New Zealand Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Ministry of Health.

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