Thursday, 18 August 2022
Meet the JournalistsPremiumAucklandWellingtonCanterbury/South Island
CrimePoliticsHealthEducationEnvironment and ClimateNZ Herald FocusData journalismKāhu, Māori ContentPropertyWeather
Small BusinessOpinionPersonal FinanceEconomyBusiness TravelCapital Markets
Politics
Premium SportRugbyCommonwealth GamesCricketRacingNetballBoxingLeagueFootballSuper RugbyAthleticsBasketballMotorsportTennisCyclingGolfAmerican SportsHockeyUFC
NZH Local FocusThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay of Plenty TimesHawke's Bay TodayRotorua Daily PostWhanganui ChronicleStratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu Courier
Covid-19
Te Rito
Te Rito
OneRoof PropertyCommercial Property
Open JusticeVideoPodcastsTechnologyWorldOpinion
SpyTVMoviesBooksMusicCultureSideswipeCompetitions
Fashion & BeautyFood & DrinkRoyalsRelationshipsWellbeingPets & AnimalsVivaCanvasEat WellCompetitionsRestaurants & Menus
New Zealand TravelAustralia TravelInternational Travel
Our Green FutureRuralOneRoof Property
Career AdviceCorporate News
Driven MotoringPhotos
SudokuCodecrackerCrosswordsWordsearchDaily quizzes
Classifieds
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDriven MotoringThe CountryPhoto SalesNZ Herald InsightsWatchMeGrabOneiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Kahu

Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Vaccine inequity and western travel main risks for poor countries and indigenous communities

14 Mar, 2022 04:00 AM4 minutes to read
There were 15,540 new cases of Covid-19 in the community on Monday, and two more Covid-related deaths. Video / Michael Craig / Dean Purcell / Alex Burton

There were 15,540 new cases of Covid-19 in the community on Monday, and two more Covid-related deaths. Video / Michael Craig / Dean Purcell / Alex Burton

RNZ

By Dr Rawiri Taonui of Māori Television

The worldwide Omicron outbreak peaked on January 26 with 23.7 million new cases per week. During February, cases fell back to about 10.5 million per week. The rate of new daily cases appears to have levelled out but remains more than twice as high as the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta peaks of early-to-mid and end of 2021.

Omicron deaths peaked at about 77,000 per week in the first week of February about two weeks after the peak in new cases.

The number of deaths has been lower than at the Alpha, Beta, Gamma peaks of early-to-mid 2021 when vaccination rates were much lower.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Deaths have been higher than the Delta variant peak. Although Delta was more infectious and lethal than the Alpha-Delta-Gamma variants, deaths were lower in those outbreaks because vaccination levels were much higher.

Deaths have been higher with Omicron because of its ability to evade natural, Covid recovery, and double-dose vaccination antibodies. Consequently, while Omicron is less lethal than Delta, its ability to infect many more people at a lower rate of severe illness and death has led to an overall higher number of deaths.

The addition of booster vaccinations has been effective against Omicron but, in most countries, these had not reached a sufficiently elevated level to prevent higher incidents of severe disease, hospitalisation and deaths than during the Delta variant peak.

The current rate of Omicron deaths has fallen back to 42,000. Deaths may decline further. The current rate remains higher than that for much of 2020.

Omicron scenarios

Several scenarios could play out with Omicron:

Related articles

New Zealand

Omicron outbreak: 15,540 new community cases; Auckland numbers steady

14 Mar 12:50 AM
World

Obama tests positive for Covid-19

13 Mar 09:04 PM
Lifestyle

How to recover from long Covid symptoms

13 Mar 11:19 PM

• If cases remain at the same level, there is a risk that the majority of populations in each country will eventually become infected.

• The hyper-transmissibility of Omicron will mean a long tail of cases and at a higher rate than with previous outbreaks.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

• Researchers have identified about 20 sub-variants of Omicron. Internationally, BA.1 has caused the most cases. There is concern that the BA.2 sub-variant, which is significantly more transmissible than BA.1, will drive a further second surge of Omicron infections.

• If an Omicron-specific vaccination is ready before the middle of this year, there is a chance that the world can take a significant step toward defeating Covid-19 and Omicron either completely or through annually updated boosters.

• This will depend on greater equity of the international vaccination rollout between rich and poor countries, and less international travel from rich western countries.

World vaccination inequity

• 184 countries have administered 10.9 billion vaccines across the world at a rate of 140 doses for every 100 people on the planet.

• The 50 poorest countries have received just 7.5 per cent of all vaccinations.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

• Just 5 per cent of people in low-income countries are fully vaccinated compared with 72 per cent of people in rich Western countries.

• More than three billion or 40 per cent of the world's population in poor countries still await their first dose.

Omicron is now the dominant worldwide variant because of its ability to evade natural, Covid-recovery and vaccine-stimulated antibodies. Photo / Getty Images
Omicron is now the dominant worldwide variant because of its ability to evade natural, Covid-recovery and vaccine-stimulated antibodies. Photo / Getty Images

Vaccination inequity and western travel

The combination of continuing uneven vaccination rates between rich western countries and the poor world has been the main vector by which Covid has mutated into new hyper-infectious or hyper-transmissible variants.

This, coupled with travel from rich western countries, has been the main vector by which Covid-19 variants have spread across the globe.

The cumulative effect is that western travellers have imported the majority of cases across the globe while people in poor countries, vulnerable Indigenous peoples, and other ethnic minority communities have suffered disproportionately higher numbers of cases, hospitalisations, and deaths.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

How it worked here

In New Zealand, Māori and Pasifika comprise 8.8 per cent of imported cases.

Some 91.2 per cent of imported cases have been from non-Māori/Pacific communities, with 49.2 per cent from the Pākehā community.

Māori and Pasifika make up 42 per cent of all cases and 40.6 per cent of deaths where ethnicity is confirmed.

Future Covid scenarios

A worldwide equity-based Omicron-specific vaccination rollout presents the best opportunity to control Covid if coupled with reduced western international travel.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

The absence of an international worldwide vaccination strategy and continuing higher levels of international travel from western countries present a significant risk of further outbreaks by new variants.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Kahu

Kahu

Maori boarding schools get $14.9m for upgrades

17 Aug 09:00 PM
Kahu

Te Korero a te Kingi: Celebrating the Koroneihana of King Tuheitia's reign

17 Aug 07:00 PM
Lifestyle

Chocolate lovers' sweet revenge on haters of 'woke' Whittaker's

17 Aug 06:24 PM
Premium
Politics

Shane Te Pou: Not every workplace dispute amounts to bullying

17 Aug 05:00 PM
Kahu

Politician's will pay homage to King Tuheitia on Saturday at Turangawaewae Marae

17 Aug 04:45 PM

Most Popular

Wet, warm and windy: Auckland and Northland battered by heavy rain overnight
New Zealand

Wet, warm and windy: Auckland and Northland battered by heavy rain overnight

17 Aug 09:25 PM
Nelson to New York: TV's David Lomas and an emotional reunion of long-lost father and son
Entertainment

Nelson to New York: TV's David Lomas and an emotional reunion of long-lost father and son

17 Aug 08:59 PM
Live: 'Frightening, out of control' - Nelson residents flee as river bursts; Auckland also in firing line
New Zealand

Live: 'Frightening, out of control' - Nelson residents flee as river bursts; Auckland also in firing line

17 Aug 08:33 PM

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2022 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP