Māori, Pasifika and lower socioeconomic communities like South Auckland should be prioritised in the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out for children, says an epidemiologist. He said in areas like South Auckland, where Māori and Pasifika were more likely to live in overcrowded and multi-generational households, the threat of transmission was greater. He said schools were potential "super spreader settings" and with thousands of children going back to classrooms around the country in 2022, it was important the vaccine roll-out was managed properly. Winiata said a number of Māori providers in South Auckland already had teams that help with other non-Covid-19 vaccinations in schools, and it was one way the immunisation programme could be delivered. She agreed that prioritising Māori, Pasifika and lower socioeconomic communities like South Auckland was the right approach.

Source: Stuff December 09, 2021 05:05 UTC