LEADERS have thanked Sunraysia residents for coming forward for the COVID-19 vaccine, as new data reveals vaccination rates in the region are ahead of Melbourne and the national average.
According to data released by the federal Health Department on Tuesday, 19.4 percent of people aged over 16 in north-west Victoria have been fully vaccinated, compared to a national average of 19.23 per cent.
Member for Mildura Ali Cupper thanked those who have come forward to get the jab so far and urged others to do so as soon as they can.
"We need people, as soon as they are eligible, to go and get that jab," she said. "It's the best thing they can do for their communities, for their families, for local businesses, for everybody.
"Let's get everyone vaccinated so we can get out of this groundhog day of lockdown."
Ms Cupper said Australia's national vaccination rate was "low" compared to other countries, with Australia's vaccine rollout currently ranked 36th out of 38 countries in the OECD.
In the United States, 50 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, while 57 percent of people have received two jabs in the United Kingdom – both more than double Australia's figure.
But the Mildura region's results showed a "good trend", Ms Cupper said.
"Let's keep it trending in that direction," she said.
The number of fully vaccinated people in Melbourne was 18.7 per cent, while Geelong topped the state at 25.9 per cent. Bendigo and Ballarat weren't far behind, at 25.1 and 23.5 per cent respectively.
The only regional centre behind Mildura was Shepparton, coming in at 19.3 percent.
When it comes to partial vaccination rates, 45.7 per cent of people in the north-west have had their first Pfizer or AstraZeneca jab, above the national average of 40.96 per cent.
On the NSW side of the border, the Murray region -- an area that includes Wentworth and Balranald -- was ahead of the national average on first doses but lagging behind on second doses.
State MP for Murray Helen Dalton said the data, which comes in the wake of a NSW government scheme to redirect Pfizer vaccines bound for the bush to Year 12 students in Sydney, showed "why it's wrong to take vaccines away from regional areas and give them to Sydney."
"Not only do we have lower rates of vaccinations, we also have a depleted health care system that could not cope with a Covid-19 outbreak," she said.
"I'd urge people to sign the petition to reverse the NSW Government's decision to send our vaccines to Sydney."
Ms Dalton urged people to sign a petition calling on the NSW Government "to equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines across the entirety of NSW".
"People of Regional NSW, many of whom, such as frontline health and emergency services workers, aged, frail, infirm and vulnerable people living across Regional NSW still await the opportunity to receive their first vaccination," according to the petition.
Far West Local Health District, which encompasses Wentworth and Broken Hill, is now encouraging people to roll up their sleeves for AstraZeneca, with Pfizer availability slashed.
AstraZeneca is available to all adults at GPs and a growing number of pharmacies in NSW, including the Wentworth Pharmacy.
While AstraZeneca is approved in Australia for everyone over the age of 18, mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer are considered marginally safer for younger people due to an extremely rare side effect involving blood clots.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday stepped up to talk through the Doherty Institute modelling used to put together "Australia's plan to live with the virus" which he announced last Friday.
The Doherty Institute report showed vaccine uptake by young adults would be the key to ending overall transmission of the virus, as "young and working age adults are peak transmitters of COVID-19".
The report also noted vaccination rates among young people would rise significantly once greater supplies of mRNA vaccines become available, including stock of 25 million Moderna doses which are set to arrive in Australia later this year.
Australia's Vaccine Taskforce Commander Lieutenant General John Frewen indicated this week the government was considering moving to focus on vaccinating "key transmissibility younger groups", especially people under 40.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomed the shift, with RACGP President Dr Karen Price calling it "a sensible and timely move that will help limit the spread of the virus".
"People under 40 are more likely to spread the virus to others," Dr Price said.
"They are often more mobile and likely to engage in activities such as visiting multiple venues at night and more likely to work in casualised and frontline jobs.
"So even though their chances of suffering severe effects or dying from COVID-19 may be less than older people, it makes sense to get them vaccinated. I suspect this news will come as a great relief to many young people who are eagerly waiting to get vaccinated."
Australia's failure to measure up to its international counterparts in the race to get vaccinated has been widely blamed on the Federal Government's bungled handling of the rollout, leaving swathes of the population ineligible to get their jab.
In recent weeks, tens of thousands of previously ineligible young people have flocked to get an AstraZeneca jab since the government moved to make it more accessible regardless of age, amid an escalating Delta outbreak in NSW.
Dr Price said the impending arrival of bolstered mRNA vaccine stocks and renewed focus on encouraging young people to get vaccinated was "a positive step forward".
"Many younger people have wanted to be vaccinated for months but have been put at the back at the queue, even when eligible older people held out on receiving the available AstraZeneca vaccine," she said.
"They have also had to endure conflicting messaging on vaccine eligibility and if and when they should be vaccinated, adding to anxiety and uncertainty.
"So, it is great news that we are putting them front of mind.
"The more jabs in arms, the closer we get to ending lockdowns and returning life to normal."
