Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown up daunting impediments for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia. Because of the numerous social and health disadvantages this population has been identified as a vulnerable one to the virus impacts. This case report aims to present the public health problem of COVID-19 and its impact on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Among these are the variants of the virus, the main causes and the modes of transmission within these communities, thus, suggesting mitigation strategies to solve this important issue.

Variants of COVID-19

The COVID-19 virus is continually changing and gives rise to different variants upon its mutations. The respective problems of Alpha and Delta variants among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities lie in the fact that both of these variants are more transmissible compared to the original strains of the virus. The case of Alpha variant, which was first recorded in the UK, was thought of as 50% more transmissible, and Delta variant, which was first found in India, was around 60% more transmissible than the Alpha variant itself (Tamszewski et al., 2022).  Among these variations, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron are worth mentioning. The implications of variants among the Indigenous Australians people have not been comprehensively studied, but it is known that this group is prone to a higher rate of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular diseases (Gall et al., 2022).

Causes of COVID-19

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, highly contagious and spread mostly through the respiratory droplets that arise when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks is the cause of COVID-19 (Salian et al., 2021). The virus can be transmitted too from touching with contaminated surfaces or objects. In Australia, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was recorded on 13 January. In the case of the First Nations and Torres Strait Islander’s communities, there are some aspects that make COVID-19 spread faster.

Firstly, lots of these communities face overcrowded living conditions, which may cause the virus to disseminate at a fast rate. Moreover, the remote communities are also suffering from the problems of accessing the critical healthcare services like testing and treatment facilities which results in the delayed detection and management of the COVID-19 cases (HealthInfoNet et al., 2022).

In addition to this, the community-based nature of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders where kinship ties and cultural obligations extend across various communities makes tough the implementation of social distancing and quarantine. Gatherings and ceremonies that involve traditional cultural practices may also result in the spread of the coronavirus if sanitation measures are not put in place (Soares et al., 2024).

In this sense, socioeconomic disparities at play in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities cannot be ignored considering widespread poverty, the absence of clean water and sanitation facilities, as well as limited access to reliable information and resources for COVID-19 prevention and management (Gaborit et al., 2022). This issue can also lead to worse outcomes for communities as they become more prone to the consequences of the virus (Keene, 2020).

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Mitigating Strategies

To deal with the COVID 19 issue as a public health concern of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population it is recommended that two present mitigation strategies are used. These strategies identify with two health aspects that are health promotion and disease prevention.

1. Community-led and culturally appropriate public health messaging and education: Factual information and adequate communication channels are necessary in a crisis like this, so people could be prevented from getting and spreading the COVID-19. But in the ardent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, where language barriers exist, people have difficulty using the mainstream media and there are cultures differences, the effectiveness of traditional health messaging could be affected (Walker et al., 2021).

To tackle this problem, a community-engaged strategy, which embraces culturally applicable application and education, can be devised. Such a strategy integrates involving local leaders, elders and community members in a way that helps to draft campaigns which are targeted to every community in particular, taking into account its unique needs and current cultural relations (Green et al., 2022).

Partnering with community members and blending traditional knowledge and communication techniques like storytelling, art, and song, these campaigns can educate people, and fight misinformation, and at the same time, get the message of the necessity of the taking of the vaccine across (Griffiths, 2024). On the other hand, this method, by extension, makes the community be relevant in health and consequently encourages the community to trust in public health initiatives.

• Strengthening healthcare infrastructure and workforce in remote communities: Many aboriginal or Torres Strait incumbency communities, have higher problems of accessing adequate healthcare facilities (Donohue & McDowall, 2021). This matter has become even more critical during the COVID-19 crisis, which spectacularized the need for a culturally sensitive and competent health infrastructure.

A strategy of mitigation among others would require investment in support framework and the extension of the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service in remote areas. These health services are not only managed by, but are also staffed by, indigenous individuals, especially those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (Pickering et al., 2023). It thus takes into consideration the individuals who use these health services, ensuring that the treatment and care services received are culturally appropriate and mean to meet the specific requirements of the population.

As well, the endeavours need to be directed towards the increment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare professionals in the healthcare system such as nurses, doctors or community health workers (Usher et al., 2021). This is not only helpful in improving health care access that is culturally competent and offering employment opportunities but also allowing our communities to actively participate in their own health. In addition, telemedicine as well as mobile health clinics are key to healthcare access provision for remote community members, providing them with timely diagnosis of the condition, treatment, and monitoring during the time, as well as facilitating the delivery of all the essential healthcare services (Australian Government, 2022).

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Conclusion

The pandemic of COVID-19 has brought to the necessity to intervene in the problem of systemic inequality and health disparities experienced by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia. By having community-driven and culturally appropriate health messages and education that are shared as well as the strengthening of healthcare infrastructure and workforce in the remote areas, we can ensure good health and stop the spread of diseases while these communities are empowered to also take the lead in their health and well-being. A holistic and culturally-sensitive approach is needed so that COVID-19 does not further worsen the disparities in healthcare and it reaches everybody.

References

Australian Government (2022). CDNA National Guidance for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for COVID-19. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/cdna-national-guidance-for-remote-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-communities-for-covid-19?language=en

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Gaborit, L., Robinson, M., & Sutherland, S. (2022). Characterising health promotion in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages: A content analysis of COVID‐19 and maternal health resources. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 33, 207-221. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hpja.595 

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Keene (2020). COVID-19 and Indigenous Australians: a chronology. Parliament of Australia Social Policy Section. https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp2021/Chronologies/COVID19-IndigenousAustralians 

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Usher, K., Bhullar, N., Sibbritt, D., Amarasena, S. S. A., Peng, W., Durkin, J., … & Jackson, D. (2021). Influence of COVID-19 on the preventive health behaviours of indigenous peoples of Australia residing in New South Wales: a mixed-method study protocol. BMJ open, 11(9), e047404. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/11/9/e047404.full.pdf 

Walker, R., Usher, K., Jackson, D., Reid, C., Hopkins, K., Shepherd, C., … & Marriott, R. (2021). Connection to… addressing digital inequities in supporting the well-being of young Indigenous Australians in the wake of COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 2141. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/4/2141