Indigenous jab crisis

SHOCKING data revealing “terrible” inoculation rates among Indigenous people in Cairns has ignited calls for a renewed vaccination push amid fears a new Delta outbreak could decimate unprotected First Nations residents.

Federal government vaccination records reveal only 12 per cent of the Cairns Indigenous population of 21,191 people have been fully vaccinated.

The numbers are among the poorest nationwide – only the Mackay-Whitsunday area, outback Western Australia, southeast Perth and Mandurah in WA have recorded lower jab percentages.

Senator Nita Green, who pushed for the release of the commonwealth data, said the numbers were “terrible”.

“(Indigenous people) are dangerously exposed if we were to have an outbreak in Cairns,” she said.

“I am really worried about an outbreak in Cairns and how that would impact First Nations people.”

Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service chief Suzanne Andrews said the biggest block to Indigenous vaccination was anti-vax messages on Facebook.

“What’s hindering (the uptake) is not so much people talking about side-effects but it’s what they are hearing on social media,” she said.

“The numbers are low in Cairns … all we can do is say ‘go and see a GP’ before you make your mind up.

“There is no problem with access and there is no problem with waiting times, the problem is people not wanting to get the jab.

“There’s concern when you look at the whole Cairns footprint, considering we have had a few scares in the region.

“People really need to be thinking ‘if I don’t get vaccinated what does that mean for my family and my community?’

“I don’t know what else we can do, we just have to keep hammering the message.”

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service executive director of the Covid-19 vaccination program Don Mackie said a mobile van was visiting rural and remote areas to support Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in providing vaccinations.

“In First Nations communities, where there is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, we are supporting community-led activities to enhance access to the vaccine and increase vaccination rates,” he said.

The Cairns data is consistent with Yarrabah rates released during the week revealing that 8 per cent of the population was fully protected from Covid-19.