SUNRAYSIA’S Aboriginal community is nervous and “just too scared to come out at the moment” in the face of Mildura’s COVID outbreak, as efforts to increase testing and vaccinations ramps up.
While it’s known the Aboriginal population has been hit hard by the virus, exact case numbers are as yet unclear, and Mildura District Aboriginal Services (MDAS) CEO Jacki Turfrey said taking the testing and vaccination messages directly to the people was key.
“There’s certainly a lot of information being put out there about it, but whether the community are accessing that or not is another thing,” she said.
“We’re getting a lot of requests for assistance not through any of the official streams… but we’re finding that our community are coming to us through our social media, our Facebook page, and they’re asking us directly for assistance that we know is also available through the mainstream, but our mob are not comfortable with that.”
MDAS has this week been trialing use of the Koori Night Patrol bus to doorknock community members.
“Our plan is to go door to door, and while we’re there try and encourage people to come out for a swab, and for a jab, opportunistic testing and vaccination if we can,” Ms Turfrey said.
“What we’re finding is that people in our community are a bit too scared to be coming out of their homes, whether it’s because they’ve already been diagnosed as COVID positive, or they’ve been asked to isolate because they’ve been in contact with a Tier 1 or a primary contact, or they’re awaiting a test result, or alternatively they don’t want to catch COVID.
“We’re finding our mob are just too scared to come out at the moment.
“Everyone’s really nervous. Nervous that they might have come in contact with someone who has COVID, or that they might come in contact, or nervous because they’re awaiting a test result and they’re fairly sure they’ve come in contact. I think it’s just a predictable response to a pandemic of this nature.”
The bus trial follows a similar weekend operation in the Ambleside Crescent area by Sunraysia Community Health Services.
Ms Turfrey said police Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers “went and doorknocked, spoke to the community, who then were comfortable enough to come out and get jabbed”.
She said the distinctively branded night patrol bus would be used because it is “recognisable for our community” and staffed by community members.
“Someone they know knocking on the door, someone they feel comfortable with, can have a bit of a yarn with,” Ms Turfrey said.
MDAS will also hold a vaccination clinic for people at its Madden Ave headquarters on Saturday, beginning at 9am. More information can be obtained by phoning 1800 183 593 (free call) or emailing covidvaccineclinic@mdas.org.au.
