Health / Te Ao Maori

Murupara vax rates hindered by kaumatua, local doctor

05:42 am on 22 October 2021

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To the Bay of Plenty of town in Murupara now which has one of the lowest rates of vaccination for Covid-19 in the country. So far untouched by the Delta outbreak, there are serious concerns about what will happen if the virus does spread through the community, where just 32 per cent of the town's people have had the first dose. It's put Murupara's leaders in the spotlight, with one kaumatua openly rejecting the government's advice to get the Pfizer vaccine, and the head of the town's medical centre to appear before the Medical Council for comments in relation to the vaccine. Our producer Matthew Theunissen travelled to Murupara to investigate.