The Front Page: The big policy missing from the political debate

The economy faces an ongoing challenge in the coming years. Photo / 123RF

A top Auckland University immunologist is warning “sick people can’t contribute to the economy”.

Dr Anna Brooks, a senior lecturer in biological sciences, tells The Front Page podcast she is concerned Covid-19 “seems to be the blind spot for all politicians right now”.

“We are not hearing anything about policy and, to me, that’s surprising because sick people can’t contribute to the economy. There are loads of studies coming out internationally where countries are tracking those not returning to work or those having to cut back work because of ongoing illness from having had Covid-19.”

The numbers coming out of those studies paint a stark picture of the number of people who are struggling to overcome the longer-term effects of Covid-19.

“If there are no politicians willing to talk about this and consider how we are going to stop it from impacting our economy, I think it’s a bit short-sighted.”

With new variants emerging, numerous countries are experiencing repeat waves of the virus moving through their populations.

Brooks says that New Zealand is simply not doing enough to prepare for what will eventually come our way.

While vaccine technology is quickly advancing internationally, Brooks says it’s unclear when we will be receiving any of these updated vaccines.

“We don’t know what’s happening here. We’ve had no updates in New Zealand as to whether we’re going to get updated vaccines, which is somewhat disappointing given that the virus is mutating. We absolutely know that the vaccine protects against severe illness and is always going to be important for vulnerable people who are immunocompromised ... it would be good to hear what’s going to be our future.”

Brooks says while politicians don’t necessarily want to talk about Covid-19 in an election year, the need for coherent policy applies to all respiratory illnesses given the risk they pose, particularly in schools and workplaces.

Also speaking to The Front Page, senior lecturer in human resource management at the University of Otago, Paula O’Kane, says with the removal of Covid-19 restrictions, businesses will need to make the call on how best to keep their staff safe.

“We have learned that when we’re sick, we should stay at home.

“But it’s a very hard change, particularly for small businesses. Sick leave is a greater burden on small businesses than on large businesses. When you bring that to the hospitality context, you’re replacing that member of staff, so the cost is real. If you put it into the more professional role, sick leave doesn’t have the same impact on your bottom line.”

O’Kane believes there’s still a role for the Government to play in helping businesses navigate through this challenge while also ensuring we avoid unnecessary spread of respiratory viruses.

“We really need to make sure that we support those staff and encourage them to stay home when they’re sick, but, at the same time, we’ve got to really support those small businesses.”

• So what should businesses be doing to support staff?
• What should the Government do to prepare the country for the next waves of infection?
• And do we need another campaign to promote a further round of vaccination?

Listen to The Front Page podcast for more from these two experts.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. It is presented by Damien Venuto, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in business reporting who joined the Herald in 2017.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.