Indigenous health organisations say they are prepared for the threat the novel coronavirus poses to Indigenous Australians, who are listed as one of the groups most at-risk from Covid-19 by the federal government.
There are currently no known cases of the virus among Indigenous Australians, and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (Naccho) is working with state and federal health authorities to prevent or control any outbreaks.
Dawn Casey, the deputy CEO of Naccho, told Guardian Australia that while there were vulnerable people with multiple health issues in Aboriginal communities, the organisation and its members were well-equipped after receiving several briefings from state and federal governments in recent days. The organisation was well-placed to look after its own people, Casey said.
Research following the 2009 swine flu pandemic showed that Indigenous Australians made up 11% of all identified cases and had a “six-fold death rate compared with non-Indigenous Australians”.
The federal government has set up an Indigenous advisory committee to respond to Covid-19, which will meet on Thursday. That will be followed by a meeting next week between Naccho, its state and territory affiliates, public health medical officers, and Aboriginal medical directors from the Kimberley, Cape York and other communities.
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said on Tuesday that there was “a real vulnerability” if the virus were to reach small Indigenous communities, but confirmed the government was working closely with those communities to aid preparations.
In the Northern Territory, about a quarter of the population is Indigenous. Nearly 80% of those people live in remote or very remote communities, with many speaking English as a second language.
NT Health is taking proactive steps to protect those people, said its chief health officer, Dianne Stephens.
“NT Health is meeting regularly with external organisations to develop and prevent and if required, manage, a Covid-19 outbreak in remote communities,” Stephens said.
“The plan will take into account the unique needs of our remote communities, including the delivery of messages in local languages.”
She did not specify whether steps will be taken to allow individuals to self-isolate, if required, in remote communities where household overcrowding is a significant issue.
The government’s current advice says that anyone who may have come into contact with the virus should seek accommodation within three hours of major municipalities in the state, and not visit or return to a remote community, even if they live there.
While Stephens acknowledged the risk posed by Covid-19 to those who live with chronic conditions, she said that “it must be stressed that most people who have contracted the Covid-19 infection develop only mild to moderate symptoms and do not require hospitalisation”.
In Western Australia, a spokesperson for the health department said that “preparations recognise the greater vulnerability of Aboriginal people”, and that the department was working closely with the Aboriginal Health Council of WA and Aboriginal community-controlled health services.
A working group with representatives from remote communities is working to address concerns around self-isolation. The spokesperson didn’t confirm what alternatives were being considered.
The department has not specifically developed resources in languages other than English. Instead, it is directing Western Australians to the federal resources – which are available in Farsi and Simplified or Traditional Chinese, but not Indigenous languages.
Queensland’s chief health officer, Dr Jeannette Young, did not give details of how the state’s response was being tailored to Indigenous communities, but said that Indigenous health organisations were part of the planning process.
NSW Health and the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW have hosted a joint webinar for Aboriginal community-controlled health services across the state. NSW Health did not respond to questions about other steps being taken.
