Vaccination Although this Inquiry is focused on the Omicron stage within Aotearoa’s overall pandemic response, several submissions highlighted that, although many of the accessibility issues around vaccinations started 12 months ago or more, their impacts are still being felt today. Submissions identified that the roll-out approach used in the early stages of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, which placed many disabled people in Group 3, was difficult to implement because of the lack of good quality data about disability within the health and disability system. The roll-out effectively relied on general practices having records about who on their registers had disabilities and how to reach them. As a result, some disabled people missed out on the benefits of early vaccinations and still have not caught up – meaning more disabled people have yet to have the benefit of being fully vaccinated: “Rates of vaccination among tāngata whai ora remain at least 10% lower than the rest of the population (more than 10% for Māori and people who have experienced harm from substance use). While the rest of the country has moved focus to boosters and opening up the community, many tāngata whai ora have yet to have their first or second vaccinations.” (Submission) “Despite many years of requesting data and information, the absence of disability data at DHB, Primary Health Care and Ministry levels has an enormous impact on trying to identify and mitigate the effects of COVID on this population.” (Māori submission) A lack of trust in government was also raised as a barrier, specifically with regard to trusting in the safety of vaccines. This was considered a reason for why there was lower vaccination uptake amongst some disabled people: “Lack of trust in the government, health and justice systems due to past trauma, including forced treatment, colonisation and disinformation… has contributed to our lower vaccination rates.” (Submission) Many submissions discussed the need for a variety of options for vaccinations, including having them available at a range of accessible venues. A number of submissions noted that the booking system was difficult for some disabled people to navigate (for many of the reasons mentioned in the findings around communication), and that moves to having pop-up clinics were welcomed. There was criticism from some that vaccinations were offered in inaccessible sites for many disabled people. An example given was that of drive-through clinics, which required people to have access to private transport: “Has been easier with pop-up centres, but often disabled people still rely on someone to transport them and the wait required can be difficult. Therefore, access has not been straightforward.” (Submission) 24 Inquiry into the Support of Disabled People and Whānau During Omicron