A Kaipara district councillor’s almost week-long participation in New Zealand’s anti-covid-19 mandate protest at Parliament is jeopardising the safety of Kaipara residents, warns Mayor Dr Jason Smith.

Dr Smith said he was particularly worried about those in the councillor’s West Coast/Central council ward which had Kaipara’s lowest vaccination rates.

The councillor was participating in a likely “superspreader” event when health authorities yesterday reported a surge to a record 1160 covid-19 cases.

Anti-mandate campaigner and Kaipara District Council (KDC) councillor Victoria del la Varis-Woodcock left Kaipara for the Wellington anti-vaccine, anti-mandate protest on Thursday, February 10, and was still there yesterday.

She declined to say when she would be returning home. She also dismissed Dr Smith’s safety concerns as “nonsensical”.

Since arriving at the protest, del la Varis-Woodcock has addressed thousands of protesters through a megaphone, calling for the government’s covid-19 legislation to be immediately repealed.

“My name is Victoria del la Varis-Woodcock and I have a message, repeal all covid-19 legislation now,” she has told thousands of Wellington protesters.

Declined to comment
She declined to comment on whether she was representing any of the groups participating in the protest.

Del la Varis-Woodcock has previously told Local Democracy Reporting that elected representatives needed to be role models.

“Elected members need to be role models, need to stand for values of respect, of civil liberties and human rights,” she said.

A video of del la Varis-Woodcock’s speech is circulating online, including accompanying reference to her being a protest organiser, which she said was not the case, in response to Local Democracy Reporting clarification questioning.

The video has been viewed almost 3000 times, amid a protest that started on Tuesday, 8 February 8, and is now entering its ninth day.

She said protesters would be continuing their mission, regardless of water being sprayed or music being played, until the government repealed “draconian” laws it had enacted around the virus.

Del la Varis-Woodcock has been a local government elected representative since 2016.

Individual rights
She said she was not at the protest as a KDC councillor. instead, she was there as a protester exercising her individual rights. It was possible to separate the two.

Mayor Dr Smith said being a councillor was a 24/7 365-day-a-year role.

Dr Smith said del la Varis-Woodcock was entitled to her opinions, but being an elected representative brought a unique position of leadership in her local community that needed to be taken into account.

“As an elected representative there are all sorts of responsibilities to the people and organisation of the council. It is a 24/7, seven day a week role. You don’t get to suddenly be someone else. That’s part of the responsibility of this role,” Dr Smith said.

He said her protest participation was “worrisome” in terms of Kaipara residents’ health and safety.

“It’s a long way to travel from Kaipara to a likely superspreader event during the height of a pandemic with a heightened risk of bringing the virus back here,” Smith said.

That was particularly the case with Omicron rates increasing through the community, he said.

Low vaccination rate
Dr Smith said he was particularly worried about people in del la Varis-Woodcock’s West Coast/Central council ward. Latest available figures showed Māori in this area had a double vaccination rate of just over 71 percent (76.5 percent single dose rate).

Overall, there was a just over 78 percent double vaccination rate and just under 82 percent single vaccinated, he said.

Del la Varis-Woodcock said being at the protest did not compromise being able to carry out her role as a councillor.

She said she would be participating virtually from Wellington in KDC’s District Plan review meeting. The meeting was being held face-to-face in Dargaville Town Hall.

Del la Varis-Woodcock also participated virtually while councillors gathered face-to-face for KDC’s first 2022 meeting, in the same venue on February 2. A vaccination passport is required to enter the building.

Mayor Dr Smith said del la Varis-Woodcock had not provided this.

Del la Varis-Woodcock declined today to confirm her vaccination status, including whether she was unvaccinated.

Personal information
She has previously told Local Democracy Reporting that was her personal information.

Del la Varis-Woodcock describes herself on her Facebook page as “environmentalist, district councillor, mother, artist and lover of language”.

The page shares posts including against vaccination passports and concerns over media representations regarding the virus.

Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air. Published by Asia Pacific Report in collaboration.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Ten people have died from Papua New Guinea’s covid-19 pandemic and 203 new cases were reported in five days from September 9 as National Pandemic Response Deputy Controller Dr Daoni Esorom made a red alert call on Independence Day “super spreader”  events.

“Papua New Guineans are just not heeding our calls to adhere strictly to public health protocols like masking up and keeping social distancing at the mass events,” he said.

“There is a high risk of a surge in infections in the coming weeks and months.”

Esorom urged provinces to be proactive in their covid-19 response.

“There were shows in Goroka, Enga, Western Highlands and other provinces despite the National Control Centre advice not to proceed.

“If the events result in a surge of covid-19 cases, the provincial health authorities and administration must be fully responsible. These are super-spreader events,” he said.

“Money will not run away. At this time [in the face of the Delta variant threat] gatherings should be limited.”

Appeal to the people
He appealed to the people — whether they believed that covid-19 was there or not, believed in conspiracy theories or in not being vaccinated — there were two strategies needed to prevent a big surge in the country.

“The first is observing strictly to the Niupela Pasin (New Normal) which was nothing more than listen and follow.

“Niupela Pasin is a public health and social intervention that in the long-term will definitely reduce the number of cases.

“At the same time they are cost effective strategies.

“It will not cause a lot of money but in the event that we do not follow them,there will definitely be a big surge of the covid-19 infections in Papua New Guinea.

“If we have to get ourselves out of the epidemic, we need to vaccinate ourselves, and everyone.”

In an update on Wednesday, NCC Incident Manager Dr Melinda Susapu said two covid-19 deaths were reported on Monday on the back of 130 new cases (120 in Western, three in Hela, two in the National Capital District (NCD) and one each in Morebe, Eastern Highlands, New Ireland, Madang and Jiwaka).

Deaths now 204
She said the two deaths were from Western Province which brought the total cumulative deaths to 204.

The total number of covid-19 cases in the country was 18,542 of which 17,892 had recovered and 448 cases still active.

“NCC had yet to receive the samples that were sent to the Doherty Institute in Melbourne, Australia, to confirm whether the covid-19 cases reported were of the delta variant because the institute was not able to run tests for the samples (Australia is also experiencing a surge in cases).

“Of the 130 new cases, 24 were re-infection cases (22 in Western and two in NCD which means these people had contracted covid-19 some five or more months ago and these data will help in understanding the transmission dynamics of covid-19 and whether it was characteristic of Delta.

“Only eight of the 22 provinces are reporting regularly,” she said.

Susapa said due to delays in the reports the actual situation in provinces could be grossly underestimated.

Reporting gaps
“The surveillance teams are constantly identifying reporting gaps and are working with provinces to ensuring the discrepancies are minimised,” she added.

Susapu said the total number of covid-19 tests done to date in the country was 182,403 “which is very low”.

Esorom said it was important that health facilities were conducting testing and people should go for testing because testing was necessary “for us to understand the extent of the spread and for us to respond appropriately”.

“It is taking too long for the genome sequencing of samples sent to Australia,” he said.

“Hence, the NCC is working with partners to enable the PNG Institute of Medical Research (IMR) to do that by next month.”

Lulu Mark is a reporter for The National. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz