A senior doctor calling for more information about Covid-19 cases to be released says Pasifika communities need to understand they are at increased risk amid the latest Auckland outbreak.
New Zealand's most recent outbreak has circled around South Auckland, with the majority of people testing positive being Pasifika.
Whether the information should be released has been the focus of many conversations online, with many asking why it's relevant and fearing discrimination and racism.
However, senior member of the Pasifika Medical Association Dr Collin Tukuitonga, who also chairs the Pacific Expert Advisory Group to the Associate Minister of Health, told TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning an informed community was an empowered community.
"The ethnic information is already made public, anyone can hop onto the Ministry of Health website now and see the different categories Pākehā, Māori, Pacific. What we're trying to do here is get better information on the outbreak as it effects Pacific communities," he said.
"Many people still think that the Pacific communities are at low risk because in the initial stages we were low risk, most of the cases came in from overseas, but in the Auckland cluster that started in the past week or so three-quarters of the cases are in Pacific people.
"It's very important that we pay attention to this and assist and inform Pacific communities that we have a real problem in our communities."
Dr Tukuitonga says he backs getting better information and sharing that information.
"This time around with the Auckland cluster we are at increased risk, our conditions in houses and communities are such that this could completely get out of hand," he said.
However, while there are fears of discrimination and racism if information about cases is in the public domain - with some hateful comments having already been spread online - Dr Tukuitonga said he'd had more positive comments regarding Pasifika people with the virus.
"No doubt there is this nasty stuff going on, some quite vile actually, but on balance as I say an informed community is an empowered community who are able to act," he said.
"Follow the advice, the official advice, ignore the noise, get tested, stay home, avoid large gatherings. We've been over this before and we can do it again."
Yesterday, there were 12 new cases of Covid-19 in the community and one new case in managed isolation.
The new cases bring New Zealand's total number of active cases to 69.
New Zealand's total number of confirmed cases is 1271.
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