Oku taupotu ‘i lalo ha fakamatala fakaTonga
The Green Party is calling for the Covid-19 vaccine to be made universally available for children under five, after discovering nearly 2500 were hospitalised for Covid since the early stages of the Omicron outbreak.
A Written Parliamentary Question from the Greens’ Covid-19 Response spokesperson Teanau Tuiono to the minister of health asked “how many children under 5 have been hospitalised due to Covid-19 since February 2022?”
The minister, Dr Ayesha Verrall, replied “As at 24 February 2023, 2458 children under five have been hospitalised due to Covid-19 since February 2022.”
Tuiono told RNZ the numbers were “horrendously high”.
“There needs to be a rethink here. The government needs to get a move on. People might have moved on from Covid, but Covid hasn’t moved on from us, and we need to react and respond accordingly.”
Last month, a version of the Pfizer vaccine containing a lower dose of mRNA was made available for use in children under five who are severely immunocompromised or who have complex/multiple health conditions which would increase the risk of severe disease.
Tuiono said that based on the hospitalisation numbers, there was a strong argument to widen access.
“Something needs to happen. We’re not convinced there’s a case for making this targeted rather than a universally available vaccine, given the extent of hospitalisations of under-fives.”
But the health minister said there were no current plans to broaden the vaccine’s eligibility.
In a statement, Verrall told RNZ the Ministry of Health’s Covid-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group [CV TAG] took several factors into account when considering vaccination for the age group, including the high proportion of children under five who had already been exposed to Covid, and consideration of hospitalisation and mortality data.
“Medsafe has concluded at this stage that children aged six months to four years who are not in a risk category have a very low likelihood of severe illness from Covid-19 infection,” Verrall said.
She said the CV TAG “will continue to review information on Covid-19 and Covid-19 vaccines and will make further recommendations if necessary”.
The prime minister said he had not seen the most recent advice on widening access, but availability for under-five-year-olds was broadly in line with other countries New Zealand “compared notes” with.
“We’ll continue to follow that scientific, health-based advice. Vaccination for younger people, there’s always a weighing there, a balance between the risk and the benefits,” Chris Hipkins said.
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
Kuo ui āa e Green Party ke fakaāatÄ fakaāunivesale āa eĀ huhu maluāi Koviti ki he fanau āi lalo he taāu nima hili ia hano ilo ne ofi āi he toko 2500 ne takoto fale mahaki tupu mei he Koviti talu mei he kamakamata mai e to āa e Omikoloniā.
Ne āeke āe ha matÄpule āa e Greensā Covid-19 Response Teanau Tuiono ki he Potungaue Moāui pe ko e fanau āe toko fiha i lalo he taāu nima ne takoto tu’unga he Koviti talu mei Fepueli 2022.
Ne pehe āe he Minisita Dr Ayesha Verrall, mei Fepueli āaho Ā 2023, ko e fanau āe toko 2458 Ā i lalo he taāu nima.
Pehe āe Tuiono ki he ongoongo āa e RNZ ne fuāu lahi āa e fikaā.
Pehe āe he Green oku totonu ke fai ha ngaāunu mei heni. Malava pe kuo hoko atu e kakai mei he Koviti, ka kuo teeki mavahe āa e Koviti meia tautolu pea oku tonu ke tau fai ha ngaue.
I he mahina kuo osi, ne āata ai ki he fanau iiki ha vesini āo e huhu maluāi Faisa ‘a ia ko kinautolu ia ‘oku tuāu fakatuutamaki pe lahi ange āa e ngaahi faingataāaāia āo e āenau moāui he Koviti.
Pehe āe Tuāiono fakatatau ki he lahi āo e takoto fale mahaki āoku āi ai āa e taukave malohi ke fakalahi āa hono maāu āo e faitoāo.
Oku fiemaāu ha meāa ke hoko. Oku teāeki ke tau tui kuo āi ai ha keisi ke aāu ki he taketi ko eni kae ikai ko e fakaāata fakaāunivesale pe, i hono fakahoa ki he lahi āa e takoto fale mahaki āa e fanau āi lalo he taāu nima.
Ka kuo pehe he Minisita Moāui āoku ikai ha palani ke fakalahi āa e ngofua ke huhu maluāi.
I ha fakamatala ki he RNZ ne pehe e Verrall naāe fakakaukauāi āe he vaāa Covid-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group [CV TAG] āa e Potungaue Moāui ha ngaahi makatuāunga ki he huhu maluāi fakatatau ki he toāu’, kau ai āa e tokolahi o e fanau āi he taāu āi lalo he taāu nima.
Kuo pehe e he Medsafe ko ene tuu ko eni ko e fanau mahina e ono ki he taāu fa āoku āikai ke fakatuāutamaki e tuāunga nau āi ai e siāi pe hanau fuāu uesia mei he pipihi āa e Koviti.
Naāa pehe āe hoko atu pe hono toutou liviu āe he CV TAG e Koviti 19 pea mo e huhu maluāi Koviti 19 pea āe fai ai ha faleāi āamui ange.
Naāe pehe āe he palemia kuo teāeki ke ne sio he faleāi ke fakalahi āa e āatÄ ki he huhu ka ko e atÄ ki he fanau āi lalo he taāu nima āoku fenapasi pe ia mo e ngaahi fonua kehe mei Nuāu Sila ni.
Naāa ne toe pehe āe hokohoko atu hono muia āa e faleāi ko ia ki he moāui.