Māori doctors address the issue of vaccine hesitancy as the Covid-19 vaccination is set to roll out

Tuesday, 16 February 2021

Three experts with a history of challenging an inequitable health system talk to Moana about using science to survive a pandemic.

Days before the first Covid-19 vaccin ations are expected to begin, three Māori health experts have answered questions about the vaccine and why some people feel anxious about immunisation.

They spoke to Moana Maniapoto the host of Māori TV’s current affairs show, Te Ao with Moana.

Clinical immunologists Maia Brewerton and Anthony Jordan, as well as GP Rawiri Jansen, agreed that Māori have suffered in the past, and they understand why some may be vaccine hesitant, but said vaccines do offer an important layer of protection against the coronavirus.

Clinical immunologists Maia Brewerton and Anthony Jordan explain how the Covid-19 vaccine offers protection to individuals and communities. They are the only two Māori clinicians working in this field in the country.

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Te Ao with Moana is a current affairs show that examines stories through a Māori lens. Host Moana Maniapoto (second from left) speaks with three Māori doctors about the issues surrounding the Covid-19 vaccine.

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Brewerton and Jordan are the only two Māori clinicians working in immunology in Aotearoa.

Jordan said the vaccine worked differently in different age groups, and now we’re seeing different strains developing in the UK and South Africa.

“We know vaccines are similarly less effective for those”.

Jordan acknowledged that people can feel confused by the changing position of scientists studying Covid-19.

“Now this is really frustrating for people, because they feel like we are making it up as we go, but we are constantly tacking from side to side as new data comes in, and we’re responding to an evolving situation.”

Rawiri Jansen is part of the government's Immunisation Implementation Advisory Group. It provides independent and practical advice to the Ministry of Health on how to plan and roll out vaccination programmes. He is also a member of Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā the National Māori Pandemic Response Group, which is made up of a range of Māori health professionals,

The programme “will have different vaccines in it”. It will be rolled out tactically, offering protection to those at highest risk, Jansen said. He added that all decisions would be based on science.

Brewerton told Te Ao with Moana how vaccines work.

“A vaccine is like a fire drill for your immune system.” She began by explaining how the spike protein in the coronavirus is targeted.

Maniapoto asked about the mutating viruses, and if the vaccines New Zealand was getting would be “match fit”.

The experts also addressed concerns that things were moving a little too quickly for people who were vaccine hesitant.

Jordan said decade of work had been done on the Covid vaccine.

“This isn’t new. This is what happens when people work together when faced with a common enemy in terms of a challenge that threatens our safety and our health. It hasn’t just happened in the one year that people have become aware of coronavirus.”

When asked how many people needed to be vaccinated for it to be effective, Brewerton replied: “We think it’s in the vicinity of 80 per cent of the population group, but in the short term we need to focus on keeping the virus out (of the country).”

So the first action was to do is vaccinate border workers.

“We’ve got a big job to do,” she said.

Jordan said those who were sceptical or hesitant about receiving a vaccine should explore the origins of vaccine hesitancy and look beyond social media for the answers.

“This is probably born out of mistrust and fear of institutions for which they’ve never really engaged with in the past, or they haven’t had good engagements with, so that’s where it’s our job to build that trust with those people, so they can hear our story, they can hear our evidence and what they don’t do is go searching for something that reaffirms what they were fearful off.

Jansen said some of that hesitancy makes perfect sense, “when you look at a racialised health system that has delivered very badly to you, your life experience, your lived experience, your whanau’s experience”.

“Of course you’re going to be hesitant.”

“And then you look at really great Māori providers who can deliver 95 per cent of Māori kids getting immunised. We can be proud of that. I want to see an immunisation programme that has protecting the Māori community as it’s number one feature.”

Vaccines will not be compulsory, but “there has never been a pandemic that has served Māori well':, said Jordan.

Watch the full episode of Te Ao with Moana at the top of this story.