The death of former Cook Islands Prime Minister and GP, Joe Williams, is a stark reminder for communities to remain vigilant, a pacific GP says.
Dr Api Talemaitoga, an Auckland GP and chair of the Pasifika GP Network, told Morning Report he had heard Williams was getting better.
"I was really shocked. Through the grapevine I thought he was improving or holding his own."
Talemaitoga said it brought a sense of reality to the situation that "one of our own" had succumbed to the virus.
"We have to really remind the community to be vigilant and keep up the testing. But this has really shaken up the community."
He said he had noticed nearly empty testing stations over the weekend and urged workers in the pacific community to approach their employers or work and income if they were worried about losing pay if they take Covid-19 tests.
Talemaitoga many members of the Pacific community are in low-paid jobs such as cleaners and aged care and they were keen to get tested but they were concerned whether they had enough sick leave to self-isolate for two or three days as they awaited test results.
