State grapples with Government over pace of vaccination in the North West

Shadow Regional Health Minister Martin Aldridge has slammed the State Government over the pace of vaccination in the North West as Commonwealth data reveals Aboriginal communities in the Pilbara have some of the slowest rates of inoculation in the country. Mr Aldridge said the North West had the lowest vaccinated uptake across all states and territories by a “very large margin” and more needed to be done to protect vulnerable Australians. “Not a single other region in any state or territory of Australia has a vaccination uptake of less than 39 per cent and most are well above 50 per cent, yet northern WA has been left to languish at just 25 per cent uptake. “No matter which way you look at it, there’s a stark and concerning difference in the vaccine roll out in the Pilbara and Kimberley compared to virtually every other part of Australia.” He said the Federal Government needed to provide more accurate data to major regional centres like Port Hedland, Karratha and Broome so the State could address low vaccination rates more swiftly. The latest figures reveal 20 per cent of WA’s Indigenous population has received the first vaccine dose, while 10.7 per cent have had the second dose. State Health Minister Roger Cook said vaccine momentum was building but WA still had “a long way to go”. “The rate for the roll out in the vulnerable Aboriginal population is still far too low at 20 per cent for the first dose and 10.7 per cent for the second dose,” he said. “This is a problem right across Australia, particularity here in Western Australia and it is a particularly worrying situation. We all have to take responsibility to make sure our vulnerable Aboriginal population is not left behind.” WA Health is consulting with Pilbara organisations including Clontarf and Wangka Maya to reduce hesitancy and increase vaccination rates.