Since March 2020 in Australia, there has been decisive national, and state and territory policy as well as community led action involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as information about COVID-19 arose. This has resulted in, what could only be framed as a success story in self-determination. However, there continues to be issues with the quality of data used for the surveillance and reporting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during the pandemic. This article discusses some of the important events in pandemic planning regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and how this relates to surveillance and monitoring in the emerging and ongoing threat of COVID-19 within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The authors also identify some of the data considerations required in the future to monitor and address public health.
COVID-19 National Incident Room Surveillance Team. COVID-19 Australia: Epidemiology Report 31: Fortnightly reporting period ending 6 December 2020. 2020. Department of Health. Australian Government. doi: 10.33321/cdi.2020.44.92.
2.
CrooksK.CaseyD.WardJ.S. First Nations people leading the way in COVID-19 pandemic planning, response and management. The Medical Journal of Australia. 2020; Preprint – 29 April 2020. Accessed from https://www.mja.com.au/system/files/2020-04/Crooks%20preprint%2029%20April%202020.pdf.
3.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2016. ABS cat. no. 3238.0.55.001. 2018. Canberra: ABS.
4.
Department of Health Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Management Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Populations. Australian Government. 2020. Accessed from https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2020/03/australian-health-sector-emergency-response-plan-for-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-short-form-the-australian-health-sector-emergency-response-plan-for-novel-coronavirus-short-form.pdf.
5.
Department of Health. Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza. Australian Government. ISBN: 978-1-74186-151-8. 2019. Accessed from https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/519F9392797E2DDCCA257D47001B9948/%24File/w-AHMPPI-2019.PDF.
6.
World Health Organisation. Weekly epidemiological update – 8 December 2020. WHO. 2020. Accessed from https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-8-december-2020.
7.
Department of Health. Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19): Management plan for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities, 2020. Australian Government. 2020. Accessed from https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/management-plan-foraboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-populations.
8.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group on COVID-19. Communique Update: 15 October 2020. Australian Government. Date viewed <https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2020/10/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-advisory-group-on-covid-19-communiques-15-october-2020-communique_0.pdf>.
9.
DudgeonP.DerryK.L.WrightM., et al. A National COVID-19 Pandemic Issues Paper on Mental Health and Wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing Grant, The University of Western Australia Poche Centre for Indigenous Health. 2020. Accessed from https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-06/apo-nid306661.pdf.
10.
NaiduL.ChiuC.HabigA.LowbridgeC.JayasingheS.WangH.McIntyreP.MenziesR.Vaccine preventable disease and vaccination coverage in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Australia 2006–2010. Communicable Diseases Intelligence. 2013; 37(Supp). Australian Government Department of Health.
11.
Al-YamanF.The Australian Burden Of Disease Study: impact and causes of illness and death in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 2011. Public Health Res Pract. 2017; 27(4): 2741732. doi: 10.17061/phrp2741732.
12.
WolffG.G.Influenza vaccination and respiratory virus interference among department of defense personnel during the 2017–2018 influenza season. Vaccine. 2020; 38(2): 350–354. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.10.005.
13.
KiddM.R.Five principles for pandemic preparedness: lessons from the Australian COVID-19 primary care response. British Journal of General Practice. 2020; 70(696): 316–317. doi: 10.3399/bjgp20X710765.
14.
FlintS.M.DavisJ.S.SuJ.-Y.Oliver-LandryE.P.RogersB.A.GoldsteinA.ThomasJ.H.ParameswaranU.BighamC.FreemanK.GoldrickP.TongS.Y.C.Disproportionate impact of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza on Indigenous people in the Top End of Australia’s Northern Territory. Medical Journal of Australia. 2010; 192(10): 617–622. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb03654.x.
15.
GriffithsK.ColemanC.Al-YamanF.CunninghamJ.GarveyG.WhopL.Jackson PulverL.RingI.MaddenR.The identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in official statistics and other data: critical issues of international significance. Statistical Journal of the IAOS. 2019; 35(1): 91–106. doi: 10.3233/SJI-180491.
16.
GriffithsK.ColemanC.LeeV.MaddenR.How colonisation determines social justice and Indigenous health – a review of the literature. J Pop Research. 2016; 33: 9–30. doi: 10.1007/s12546-016-9164-1.
17.
LangtonM.MazelO.PalmerL.ShainK.TehanM. (eds). Settling with Indigenous People: Modern treaty and agreement-making. The Federation Press. 2006. Sydney, NSW. ISBN: 978-1-86287-618-7.
18.
KeeneM. COVID-19 and Indigenous Australians: a chronology [1]. Research Papers, Parliament of Australia. 2020. Accessed from https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp2021/Chronologies/COVID19-IndigenousAustralians.
19.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The inclusion of Indigenous status on pathology request forms. Cat. no. IHW 103. 2013. ISBN: 978-1-74249-493-7. Accessed fromhttps://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/indigenous-australians/indigenous-status-on-pathology-request-forms/contents/table-of-contents.
20.
Department of Health. COVID-19 current situation and case numbers Australian Government. Accessed from https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-covid-19-current-situation-and-case-numbers.
21.
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Best practice guide to applying data sharing principles. Australian Government. 2019. Accessed From https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/data-sharing-principles-best-practice-guide-15-mar-2019.pdf.
22.
Australian Government. 2016 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap. 2017. Accessed from https://www.education.gov.au/2016-national-research-infrastructure-roadmap.
23.
National Health Information Independent Expert Panel. Accessed from https://www.aihw.gov.au/our-services/committees/national-health-information-strategy-independent-e.
