❓ The Minister for Health provides an update on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in regional WA, highlighting progress, challenges in remote communities (particularly Aboriginal communities), and collaborations with resource companies like Rio Tinto to improve vaccination rates.
AnsweredQoN 451Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — VACCINATIONS — REGIONS
451. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's significant efforts in rolling out the COVID-19
vaccination program to those living in regional and remote parts of the state,
and in particular to vulnerable Western Australians. Can the minister update
the house on the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program in regional Western
Australia?
451. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's significant efforts in rolling out the COVID-19
vaccination program to those living in regional and remote parts of the state,
and in particular to vulnerable Western Australians. Can the minister update
the house on the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program in regional Western
Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question
and her ongoing advocacy, particularly for people in her electorate who live and work in remote communities. Before I answer
the member's question, I add to the Premier's comments my
thanks to the healthcare and police teams who are working tirelessly to
prepare Western Australia for the efforts around the Afghanistan evacuees.
I am on a drive to make sure that
80 per cent of adult Western Australians are fully vaccinated by year end. I could
say that all I want for Christmas is two jabs each!
Several members interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : Work with me
here! It is a Thursday afternoon—come on!
Mr D.A. Templeman : It's
a tough room.
Mr R.H. COOK : It is a tough
audience, Minister for Culture and the Arts.
We have made a lot of progress, but
there is still much to do to improve our vaccination rates, particularly in
regional communities. Across Western Australia, our first dose percentage is
now 44.5 per cent and our second dose
percentage is 25 per cent. That is why we are working tirelessly to make sure
that we continue to improve our vaccination rates. I think more than 28 000
doses were administered in Western Australia yesterday, so we are making really
good progress.
Today, I was out at Perth Airport
to announce an innovative collaboration that we are implementing with Rio Tinto as part of our vaccination program for
strategic workforces. In this case, miners coming off swings will, as they come back into the airport, be greeted by Rio Tinto
health teams. We are making sure that we are giving them the opportunity to be vaccinated. By increasing the level of
convenience, we will increase the vaccination rates of that workforce. In
addition, Rio Tinto and WACHS health teams will be working in Tom Price and
other communities in which Rio Tinto works to ensure that members of those
communities have the opportunity to be vaccinated. Obviously, Rio Tinto workers,
their families and other community members live in those communities. We will
be announcing a similar program with other resources companies in the coming
weeks and months. It is an important program.
To date, only 16 per cent of people
who live in remote communities have had their first dose; 7.9 per cent have had
both doses. That is alarmingly low, so we have to increase our efforts to make
sure that we can improve that. We can do it. In the Warmun Aboriginal
community, member for Kimberley, over 76 per cent of eligible residents are now
vaccinated. We can do this. We are working not only with the unique features of
the Western Australian health jurisdiction, which has a highly remote and
dispersed population, but also against insidious anti-vaccination groups,
cloaked in the disguise of religious fundamentalism, who are encouraging
members of the community to resist the vaccination program. It is just not good
enough. I am very pleased to see that the Western Australia Police Force is
deploying an officer and chaplain to try to get around this campaign that is
entwining some of these communities and creating confusion, concern and
anxiety, which is undermining our efforts to get the community vaccinated. We
know Aboriginal communities in particular are vulnerable to any outbreak of
COVID-19. That is why it is important that we take every opportunity to make
sure they are vaccinated. We are working closely with Aboriginal medical
services and the commonwealth to make sure we can lend a hand wherever we can
to continue to lift vaccination rates. As the Warmun community has
demonstrated, we can do it, but we need to do it together. We are not safe
until we are all safe. That is why Aboriginal communities, particularly in
remote areas, are a fundamental target of our successful vaccination program.
and her ongoing advocacy, particularly for people in her electorate who live and work in remote communities. Before I answer
the member's question, I add to the Premier's comments my
thanks to the healthcare and police teams who are working tirelessly to
prepare Western Australia for the efforts around the Afghanistan evacuees.
I am on a drive to make sure that
80 per cent of adult Western Australians are fully vaccinated by year end. I could
say that all I want for Christmas is two jabs each!
Several members interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : Work with me
here! It is a Thursday afternoon—come on!
Mr D.A. Templeman : It's
a tough room.
Mr R.H. COOK : It is a tough
audience, Minister for Culture and the Arts.
We have made a lot of progress, but
there is still much to do to improve our vaccination rates, particularly in
regional communities. Across Western Australia, our first dose percentage is
now 44.5 per cent and our second dose
percentage is 25 per cent. That is why we are working tirelessly to make sure
that we continue to improve our vaccination rates. I think more than 28 000
doses were administered in Western Australia yesterday, so we are making really
good progress.
Today, I was out at Perth Airport
to announce an innovative collaboration that we are implementing with Rio Tinto as part of our vaccination program for
strategic workforces. In this case, miners coming off swings will, as they come back into the airport, be greeted by Rio Tinto
health teams. We are making sure that we are giving them the opportunity to be vaccinated. By increasing the level of
convenience, we will increase the vaccination rates of that workforce. In
addition, Rio Tinto and WACHS health teams will be working in Tom Price and
other communities in which Rio Tinto works to ensure that members of those
communities have the opportunity to be vaccinated. Obviously, Rio Tinto workers,
their families and other community members live in those communities. We will
be announcing a similar program with other resources companies in the coming
weeks and months. It is an important program.
To date, only 16 per cent of people
who live in remote communities have had their first dose; 7.9 per cent have had
both doses. That is alarmingly low, so we have to increase our efforts to make
sure that we can improve that. We can do it. In the Warmun Aboriginal
community, member for Kimberley, over 76 per cent of eligible residents are now
vaccinated. We can do this. We are working not only with the unique features of
the Western Australian health jurisdiction, which has a highly remote and
dispersed population, but also against insidious anti-vaccination groups,
cloaked in the disguise of religious fundamentalism, who are encouraging
members of the community to resist the vaccination program. It is just not good
enough. I am very pleased to see that the Western Australia Police Force is
deploying an officer and chaplain to try to get around this campaign that is
entwining some of these communities and creating confusion, concern and
anxiety, which is undermining our efforts to get the community vaccinated. We
know Aboriginal communities in particular are vulnerable to any outbreak of
COVID-19. That is why it is important that we take every opportunity to make
sure they are vaccinated. We are working closely with Aboriginal medical
services and the commonwealth to make sure we can lend a hand wherever we can
to continue to lift vaccination rates. As the Warmun community has
demonstrated, we can do it, but we need to do it together. We are not safe
until we are all safe. That is why Aboriginal communities, particularly in
remote areas, are a fundamental target of our successful vaccination program.
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