Kathleen Logan
From:
Amanda Kvalsvig <[email address]>
Sent:
Monday, 23 August 2021 5:22 PM
To:
Kathleen Logan; Andrew Becroft; Leah Haines
Cc:
Michael Baker; Jin Russell
Subject:
Vaccine preventable diseases in childhood including Covid-19
Attachments:
Kvalsvig_SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant and other VPDs_final.docx
[Attachment withheld under OIA s 18 (d) - it is or will be published,
and the author, Dr Kvalsvig, may be contacted directly about it.]
Kia ora koutou
This email is to continue our earlier conversation about children and Covid-19; it’s good to see that
policymakers and media now recognise the importance of Covid-19 impacts on children.
Just before the current outbreak was detected, my paediatrician colleague Dr Jin Russell and I (with
additional content from Michael Baker – thank you!) provided advice to the PMCSA and Ministry of
Health about the rise in Delta variant cases in children overseas. I’ve attached the report (a rapid
review) in case it’s of interest to you also. As you can see this advice was provided a few days before
the very welcome decision to vaccinate 12-15 year-olds. We’ll rework the report as an
editorial/perspective piece for wider dissemination.
We have another paper in the pipeline that might be a good one to discuss because it touches on
UNCROC and the importance of children’s voices in pandemic decisions, especially as children are still
largely unvaccinated and will be carrying a lot of the risk if we ‘open up’ too soon. I know that
bringing children into the national conversation is an important part of your work at OCC. There are
equity issues that need to be highlighted as well: it’s now clear from overseas research that Covid-19
outcomes are significantly worse for Indigenous children compared with non-Indigenous children,
which is a worrying finding given existing health inequities in Aotearoa.
I’ll leave it at that, and please do let us know how best to support your work.
Ngā mihi nui
Amanda
Dr Amanda Kvalsvig (she/her)
Senior Research Fellow | Kairuruku Matua
Co-director, HEIRU Research Group
Lead Researcher Co-Search and SYMBIOTIC
Department of Public Health | Te Tari Hauora Tūmatanui
University of Otago, Wellington | Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo ki Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara
Box 7343 Wellington, New Zealand 6242
Street address: Level J, 23a Mein St, Newtown
Email: [email address]
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