The head of Australia’s peak health group for Indigenous Australians has “significant concerns” about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being exposed to COVID-19 as the nation begins to reopen.
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation chief executive Pat Turner spoke at a Senate committee on Thursday that examined the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in First Nations communities.As the jurisdictions worst hit by COVID-19 in NSW, the ACT and Victoria gradually wind back restrictions on the path to reopening the nation, Ms Turner said she was worried about the current vaccine coverage for First Nations people.
She cited the recent outbreak of the virus in Wilcannia in western NSW as an example, calling this "entirely predictable" and warning about the danger of the virus spreading in similar communities with crowded housing.Wilcannia was used as a case study in JUNE 2020 as to what would happen if COVID got in.2021-10-14T00:00:00+00:00A state-by-state breakdown shows further disparities in the vaccine rollout among Indigenous Australians.
These vaccination rates are higher in the eastern states most impacted by the spread of the Delta variant.In Victoria, 50.91 per cent have been fully vaccinated, with 65.23 per cent in the ACT, 60.63 per cent in NSW, and 50.6 per cent in Tasmania. “We are starting to see a closing of the gap now and we hope that the acceleration efforts will only continue,” he told the committee.Concerns over lagging vaccination rates prompted the federal government to launch a nationwide prioritisation campaign targeting 30 Indigenous communities last month.
“In the misinformation space there is very pernicious and hard to counter information,” Lieutenant General Frewen said.
SBS
SBS Sorry,we need honesty and this is a real problem because of a lot of Aboriginal people do not want to get vaccinated. What is your solution? Media want to ignore the fact that Domestic violence is huge in Aboriginal communities but what happens to the children. We need debate.
Is she aware many with disabilities or in rural areas have the same issue, perhaps not the smartest playing of a race card😎
Why are these 'Health Ministers' the most unhealthy of our society?
I've a contingency plan for you. Crash tackle them and hold them down while you vaccinate them.
I once again call upon the Minister for Indigenous Affairs Ken Wyatt to resign. The rate of vaccination 💉 for Indigenous Australians is a national disgrace. 👎
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