• Allison Hempenstall, Barbara Telfer, Sean Cowley, Shalomie Shadrach, Caroline Taunton, Jay Short, Nicolas Smoll, Roy Rasalam, Oscar Whitehead, Peter Roach, Karen Koko, Josh Stafford, Rittia Matysek, Renarta Whitcombe, Gulam Khandaker, Jason King, Nishila Moodley, Maree Finney, Rica Lacey, Steven Donohue, Richard Gair, and Katie Panaretto.
• James Cook University, Townsville, QLD.
• Med. J. Aust. 2024 Oct 21; 221 (8): 426433426-433.

ObjectiveTo describe the preparedness for, epidemiological characteristics of and public health responses to the first and second waves of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in six remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland from late 2021.DesignThis was a descriptive epidemiological study. Data were collated by each participating public health unit. Case and outbreak characteristics were obtained from the statewide Notifiable Conditions System.Setting, ParticipantsSix discrete remote First Nations communities across Queensland were selected to represent a broad geographic spread across the state: Badu Island, Cherbourg, Lockhart River, Palm Island, Woorabinda and Yarrabah. People with a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) test result recorded between 13 December 2021 and 12 June 2022 who acquired the infection and isolated in one of the six communities.Main Outcome MeasuresCOVID-19 vaccination coverage among First Nations people; number of COVID-19 cases reported; and attack rates for each community.ResultsAll six First Nations communities led the COVID-19 preparedness and planning. COVID-19 vaccination coverage rates before the first outbreak ranged from 59% to 84% for the first dose and from 39% to 76% for the second dose across the six communities. During the study period, 2624 cases of COVID-19 in these communities were notified to Queensland Health. Attack rates for each community were: Badu Island, 23%; Cherbourg, 34%; Lockhart River, 18%; and Palm Island, Woorabinda and Yarrabah, 35% each. The 2624 cases included 52 cases (2%) involving hospital admission and two cases (< 1%) in which the person died from COVID-19.ConclusionsIt is likely that the co-designed, collaborative partnerships between local councils, community-controlled health services, state health services and public health units positively impacted the management and outcomes of COVID-19 in each of the six communities.© 2024 The Author(s). Medical Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of AMPCo Pty Ltd.

42 keywords...

hide…