Mental health and addiction service users lag behind in vaccine rollout

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-02-25 00:01

New Zealand

People with mental health and addiction issues are far more likely to be hospitalised or die from COVID-19, say mental health academics in a commentary piece. Despite stated priority in NZ’s vaccine roll-out, these service users’ vaccination rates are well below the general rates. On 14 Feb, just 72% of Māori recipients of alcohol and drug treatment, and 78% of all alcohol and drug service users, had got their second vaccine dose - compared with 95% of eligible people overall. The authors say coverage varies by DHB, and proactive action from the health sector is urgently needed to lift this population’s vaccine access.

Media release

From:

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: University of Otago, Te Pou, Canterbury DHB, Mental Health, Addictions & Intellectual Disability Service, the Wise Group (NZ)

Funder: N/A. Competing interests: The authors are part of Aotearoa Equally Well, an evidence-informed collaborative taking action across the health and health-related systems to achieve physical health equity for people who experience mental health and addiction issues.

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.