Maorispecific vaccination plan

WELLINGTON: There will be a specific vaccination rollout plan for Maori focused on giving them confidence in receiving the vaccine, Covid19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says.

In response to questions by Maori Party coleader Debbie NgarewaPacker during question time in Parliament yesterday, Mr Hipkins said there would be a specific vaccination plan for Maori, to account for the fact that Maori ‘‘are at increased risk of exposure to Covid19 and increased risk of harm if they contract the virus’’.

The plan will focus on ‘‘supporting vaccine confidence’’ to get ‘‘good strong uptake amongst our Maori communities’’.

‘‘One of the things we’re very mindful of is that we need to ensure Maori feel confident in receiving the vaccine and they’re more likely to feel confident if we are working and if they’re receiving that vaccine that they have an existing trusted relationship with,’’ Mr Hipkins said. — RNZ