Vaccination rates lag for vulnerable populations

As New Zealand prepares for widespread community transmission of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, many people who use specialist mental health services and addiction services remain unvaccinated.

Ninety-three per cent of the general eligible population is now double vaccinated against the virus, and one million people have received their booster shots.

However, mental health service users are only 86 per cent double vaccinated, and for addiction service users, that rate is only 74 per cent.

The figures for Māori mental health service users and addiction service users are 76 per cent and 67 per cent, respectively.

Karen Orsborn, chief executive of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, said people with mental health and addiction issues were at higher risk of contracting Covid than the general population.

They were also at a higher risk of serious illness if they did.

She said tailored messaging for those population groups was needed to encourage and assist them to get vaccinated.

‘‘For people who have mental health and addiction issues they may have trouble accessing transport or the availability of particular services, so vaccination needs to be offered at places people can get to.’’

Commission chairman Hayden Wano said many organisations had been working hard to ensure the groups had equitable and timely access to vaccination.

‘‘We cannot speak highly enough about the targeted efforts of Māori and Pacific community providers as well as other service providers and churches, who have contributed to a huge turnaround in rates of vaccination for Māori and Pacific communities.’’

He said that was the kind of targeted approach that was needed to reach communities that health providers could not.

‘‘Māori providers and community-led initiatives have been hugely successful . . . These vulnerable groups require active engagement and in many cases, the best parties to do that are the community-led service providers,’’ he said.

Geoff Milner, the chief executive of Ngāti Hine Health Trust, said community vaccination providers were acutely aware of whānau with mental health issues and addictions, who needed a different approach.

‘‘There’s already good cooperation between various mental health and addiction providers or those in addiction residential services.

‘‘I’m aware of people being brought in collectively to clinics, and then I’m aware of mobile vaccination vans, waka going out to set places to reach these communities.’’