Older New Zealanders bearing the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic shows more attention will need to be paid to their needs in future, an Otago researcher says. The pandemic disproportionately affected older New Zealanders, who experienced the strictest social distancing guidelines, as well as suffering from the disease, she said. Most of the 22 people who have died as a result of Covid-19 in New Zealand were aged over 70. “Most kaumātua (older people) have been stoic and resilient," Prof Parr-Brownlie said. “The number of older Māori and Pacific people living in retirement villages and aged residential care is disproportionately low – the majority of residents are currently of European descent.

Source: Otago Daily Times June 21, 2020 22:41 UTC