Major study on COVID-19 impacts in Aotearoa launched

A nationwide study to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on people in Aotearoa New Zealand has been launched today by Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.  

 The “Impacts of COVID-19 in Aotearoa—Ngā Kawekawe o Mate Korona” study, funded by the Ministry of Health, aims to survey people aged 16 and over who had COVID-19, or were a probable case, before 1 December 2021.  

 

Nearly 9,000 eligible people will be contacted by letter and text over the next two weeks inviting them to complete online surveys about their experiences of COVID-19 and the healthcare services they received.  

 

The study is led by Dr Lynne Russell (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne, Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou) and Dr Mona Jeffreys, who head-up a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, primarily from the University’s Te Hikuwai Rangahau Hauora—Health Services Research Centre. Dr Marianna Churchward (Lotofaga, Faleasiu, Samoa) leads the Pacific arm of the research. 

 

“We want as many people as possible to take part in the surveys so we can understand their experiences of COVID-19 and assess the effectiveness of the services they received,” Dr Russell said.  

 

A series of interviews with COVID-19 survivors will also be conducted as part of the research.  

 

Insights gained from the study will be used to provide recommendations to the Ministry of Health on how to better support people with COVID-19 and improve health services in the future.  

 

Survey questions that participants will be invited to answer focus on four areas: 

• the support they received (and would have liked) when they were first diagnosed with COVID-19, and how the situation affected them and their whānau 
• their experience after getting COVID-19 and the quality of the health services they accessed 
• the financial costs of COVID-19 to them and their whānau, and who (if anyone) helped care for them 
• Long COVID and symptoms that continued to affect their health beyond the first month of getting the virus.  

 

Dr Russell said the effects of COVID-19 on Māori, Pacific communities and whānau hauā (disabled communities) are a key focus of the research.  

 

Jenene Crossan, who was the 37th COVID-19 case in Aotearoa, is among those already signed up to participate in the study, and is one of four people who has had COVID-19 advising the research team.  

 

Jenene tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020 and has since suffered from Long COVID symptoms. She’s encouraging others who have had COVID-19 to take part in the study. 

 

“The more we come together to understand the impacts of the virus on our people, the better we can serve and protect our tamariki and whānau.” 

 

Speaking up “may not be comfortable, but it is the right thing to do and I hope it is rewarding for those who bravely step up,” Jenene said.  

 

Any information participants provide to the research team would be kept strictly confidential, Dr Jeffreys said.   

 

“We know some people may be reluctant to share information because of the stigma associated with COVID-19 infection. We want to reassure participants that their identities will remain confidential unless they give us permission to release that information,” she said.   

 

About Education New Zealand:

Education New Zealand (ENZ) is New Zealand’s government agency for international education. ENZ works to grow awareness of New Zealand as a study destination and to support New Zealand education providers and businesses to take their services and products abroad. 

Post Budget Quote by Chitra Ravi - Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Chrysalis

The pandemic has completely altered the way of learning and has increased the pace of digital adoption in the education sector. With improved digital infrastructure and the new initiatives introduced by the government such as the 'One class, one TV ‘, strengthening online education, quality education can now be possible.

As Educators, we should realize Technology has opened up lots of possibilities to improve the quality of education. Tech can be used for the professional development of teachers and also get assessment insights from children. We can safely say that Technology has the potential to solve some of the traditional challenges and pandemic related challenges as well.

About Chrysalis:

Chrysalis was founded in the year 2001 by Chitra Ravi, a school educational visionary with a vision to awaken ‘innate human potential’ in EVERY CHILD. Chrysalis'​ initiatives are based on 20 years of sustained research on education and pedagogy which have led to a remarkable transformation in over 1800+ schools. Through different collaborations, Chrysalis has successfully contributed to the research, curriculum design and bringing rigour in the transformation of the current teaching practices. They have partnered with private organisations and State governments, acting as knowledge partners and problem solvers. Chrysalis actively seek CSR collaborations with like-minded organisations, that wish to impact the education eco-system.

Leading corporates such as IBM, Microsoft and Dell partner with Chrysalis for their strategic expertise on their CSR initiatives in education. For their contribution to education, Chrysalis (EZ Vidya) was awarded South-Asia’s most innovative curriculum award and the coveted ET-NOW 'Game Changer'​ Award from over 63000 organizations across the globe.