Currently there are 38 confirmed COVID-19 cases among Māori with a growing fear of a potential outbreak in Māori and Pacific communities.
The 1918 Spanish influenza took 2,500 Māori lives, who died at a rate seven times that of non-Māori. When the disease reached Samoa via a NZ steamship, an estimated 8500 people (22% of the population) died.
Dr Ashley Bloomfield says work around preventing community transmission within highly populated Māori regions is being planned and actioned.
