The August 2020 COVID-19 outbreak in Aotearoa, New Zealand: Delayed contact tracing for Pacific people contributes to widening health disparities

Sonder, Gerard J.B.; Grey, Corina; Anglemyer, Andrew; Tukuitonga, Collin; Hill, Philip C.; Sporle, Andrew; Ryan, Debbie

doi:10.1016/j.ijregi.2023.01.014

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In total, 137,738 notifications were sent to potential contacts, with an average of 164 notifications sent per location pushed. Given that the median number of close contacts detected per case during the pandemic was between four and eight across demographic groups [ 28 ], the PPV of the QR-based system for detecting close contacts was close to nil. In contrast, given the broad definition of a casual contact adopted by the Ministry of Health in NZ, it is likely every person receiving a notification was a casual contact meaning the PPV for casual contacts would be close to 100%.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On average, each pushed location resulted in 164 notifications being sent to potential contacts. The only published research on the contact tracing system in NZ suggests the median number of close contacts identified per case was 4 [ 28 ]. The difference between the average number of notifications sent via NZCTA and the close contacts identified by contact tracers suggests that a large majority of those notified contacts were not clinically significant close contacts – resulting in a PPV for close contacts close to nil.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To estimate the PPV of the QR code system of NZCTA for close contacts, we compared the notifications sent per location pushed against the median number of close contacts in the only documented peer-reviewed literature on close contacts identified by the contact tracing system in NZ (median = four close contacts), which occurred during an outbreak in Auckland in 2020 [ 28 ]. For casual contacts, by definition, every person who received a notification is likely a casual contact ‘any person with exposure to the case who does not meet the criteria for a close contact’ [ 29 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Population and contact tracer uptake of New Zealand’s QR-code-based digital contact tracing app for COVID-19

Chambers,

Anglemyer,

Chen

et al. 2024

Epidemiol. Infect.

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This study aimed to understand the population and contact tracer uptake of the quick response (QR)-code-based function of the New Zealand COVID Tracer App (NZCTA) used for digital contact tracing (DCT). We used a retrospective cohort of all COVID-19 cases between August 2020 and February 2022. Cases of Asian and other ethnicities were 2.6 times (adjusted relative risk (aRR) 2.58, 99 per cent confidence interval (95% CI) 2.18, 3.05) and 1.8 times (aRR 1.81, 95% CI 1.58, 2.06) more likely than Māori cases to generate a token during the Delta period, and this persisted during the Omicron period. Contact tracing organization also influenced location token generation with cases handled by National Case Investigation Service (NCIS) staff being 2.03 (95% CI 1.79, 2.30) times more likely to generate a token than cases managed by clinical staff at local Public Health Units (PHUs). Public uptake and participation in the location-based system independent of contact tracer uptake were estimated at 45%. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the QR code system was estimated to be close to nil for detecting close contacts but close to 100% for detecting casual contacts. Our paper shows that the QR-code-based function of the NZCTA likely made a negligible impact on the COVID-19 response in New Zealand (NZ) in relation to isolating potential close contacts of cases but likely was effective at identifying and notifying casual contacts. Key result• Public uptake and participation in the quick response (QR) code system were high (45%).• Ethnicity and contact tracing organizational level were the main predictors of whether location tokens were generated for cases. • Public health official uptake of the QR code system was suboptimal (only 15% of cases with data utilized by Public Health Units (PHUs)). • The positive predictive value (PPV) of the QR code system for identifying close contacts was close to nil but close to 100% for identifying casual contacts. Active consumer participation in the QR code system was closely correlated with perceived COVID-19 risk in the community.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Population and contact tracer uptake of New Zealand’s QR-code-based digital contact tracing app for COVID-19

Chambers,

Anglemyer,

Chen

et al. 2024

Epidemiol. Infect.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…These past experiences may have made the Māori and Pacific populations more risk-averse with respect to COVID-19 exposure and hence more hesitant to get their children routinely vaccinated during the initial lockdown. Furthermore, Māori and Pacific peoples made up 84 % of cases in the August 2020 COVID-19 outbreak ( Sonder et al, 2023 ) and their risk of hospitalisation for COVID-19 over the first seven months of the pandemic was 2.5–3.0 times greater than for other New Zealanders ( Steyn et al, 2023 ), which may have had negative impacts on vaccination catch-up among Māori and Pacific children. Alternatively, lower access to the internet, digital devices, and other forms of digital exclusion may have reduced Māori and Pacific peoples’ exposure to public health communications from government and primary care practices including the message that routine immunisation services remained available during lockdowns ( Ioane et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood vaccine uptake with administrative data

Iusitini,

Pacheco,

Schober

2024

SSM - Population Health

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“…While there is not yet published data on COVID-19 outcomes in individuals with rheumatic disease in Australasia, it seems likely that patterns will follow those seen in other high-income countries with high rates of vaccination. Population data shows older individuals and some ethnic groups experienced high rates of poor outcomes from COVID-19 (38) with M aori and Pacific peoples experiencing higher rates of COVID-19 infections, in part due to inequitable delivery of public health measures, such as contact tracing (39).…”

Section: Australia and New Zealandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Perspective on the Impact of the COVID‐19 Pandemic on Rheumatology and Health Equity

Hsieh

Dey

Grainger

et al. 2023

Arthritis Care & Research

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Although the public health emergency associated with the COVID‐19 pandemic has ended, challenges remain, especially for individuals with rheumatic diseases. We aimed to assess the historical and ongoing effects of COVID‐19 on individuals with rheumatic diseases and rheumatology practices globally, with specific attention to vulnerable communities and lessons learned. We reviewed literature from several countries and regions, including Africa, Australia and New Zealand, China, Europe, Latin America, and the US. In this review, we summarize literature that not only examines the impact of the pandemic on individuals with rheumatic diseases, but also research that reports the lasting changes to rheumatology patient care and practice, and health service use. Across countries, challenges faced by individuals with rheumatic diseases during the pandemic included disruptions in health care and medication supply shortages. These challenges were associated with worse disease and mental health outcomes in some studies, particularly among those who had social vulnerabilities defined by socioeconomic, race, or rurality. Moreover, rheumatology practice was impacted in all regions, with the uptake of telemedicine and changes in health care utilization. While many regions developed rapid guidelines to disseminate scientific information, misinformation and disinformation remained widespread. Finally, vaccine uptake among individuals with rheumatic diseases has been uneven across the world. As the acute phase of the pandemic wanes, ongoing efforts are needed to improve health care access, stabilize rheumatology drug supplies, improve public health communication, and implement evidence‐based vaccination practices to reduce COVID‐19 morbidity and mortality among individuals with rheumatic diseases.

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The August 2020 COVID-19 outbreak in Aotearoa, New Zealand: Delayed contact tracing for Pacific people contributes to widening health disparities

Cited by 6 publications

References 13 publications

Population and contact tracer uptake of New Zealand’s QR-code-based digital contact tracing app for COVID-19

Population and contact tracer uptake of New Zealand’s QR-code-based digital contact tracing app for COVID-19

Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood vaccine uptake with administrative data

Global Perspective on the Impact of the COVID‐19 Pandemic on Rheumatology and Health Equity

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