EXPERTS warn more coronavirus cases in far-west NSW are “inevitable” and say low vaccination rates in Aboriginal communities are concerning.
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) medical advisor Dr Jason Agostino said vaccination rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people in far-west NSW were “one of the lowest in NSW” and lower than among non-Indigenous Australians.
Statistics show 19.2 per cent of people in Far West Local Health District were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of August 15, a lower rate than all other NSW regional and metropolitan areas.
“It’s inevitable that there’ll be more cases in the coming days,” Dr Agostino said. “This is a population that lives in crowded housing, Delta spreads to essentially 100 percent of people living within a house. So it’s inevitable that we’ll continue to see increasing cases for the next few days.”
Dr Agostino said vaccine storage issues and low staffing levels in rural areas were a key challenge in the vaccine rollout.
“We started on the backfoot … getting Pfizer out into those (rural) areas was difficult before the storage requirements changed,” he said. “About 90 per cent of the (ATSI) population (in rural NSW) is younger than 60, so Pfizer has been the preferred vaccine.
“And we really didn’t start getting Pfizer out until late June when storage requirements changed and we could store it in a standard vaccine fridge for 31 days.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 cases in western NSW, vaccine availability has increased, he said, but “the bigger challenge now is finding the staff to deliver those doses and to provide normal care and care for people sick with COVID-19.
If the outbreak does become more widespread, he said rural health systems may struggle to cope.
“In rural Australia, our hospitals aren’t equipped to deal with large numbers of people with severe COVID-19.
“And Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in rural and remote Australia have some of the highest rates of chronic illnesses, like diabetes and heart disease, that we know are associated with severe COVID-19.
In the Sunraysia region, Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS) has now delivered about 120 Pfizer and 89 AstraZeneca vaccines to people from NSW, said chief executive Jacki Turfrey.
It’s estimated around half of those administered would have been to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“Everyone in our region is concerned about vaccination rates across the full extent of our community,” Ms Turfrey said.
She urged people to come forward and get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“In order to slow the spread of COVID-19, we all have to do our part, which means getting vaccinated. Together we can keep our families, Mob and ourselves safe, strong and well.
“MDAS is doing everything it can to make vaccinations available and accessible to all members of our community, including having clinics regularly available in Mildura, Swan Hill and Kerang,” she said.
“We have also sought additional quantities of Pfizer vaccines to ensure we can meet demand at our vaccination clinics.
“MDAS Mildura is now holding vaccination clinics Monday, Tuesday and Friday at the MDAS Gym (the old fire station opposite VicRoads), administering both Pfizer and AstraZeneca to all members of our communities. Everyone is welcome, but priority will be given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Bookings are available by phoning 1800 183 593.
