TROY BELL MP
Member for Mount Gambier
Your Independent voice
in State Parliament
Vaccine push
Friday November 12, 2021VACCINATION rates in the Limestone Coast need to increase a further 10 per cent to reach the level indicated by the State Government to open the borders.
With 10 days to go before the borders open, the Limestone Coast’s new mobile Covid-19 vaccination van is busy helping to bolster the region’s vaccination rate.
In some areas of the Limestone Coast, second dose vaccination rates of those older than 16 need to increase by more than 10 per cent before the target of 80 per cent is reached which will allow some restrictions to be eased.
The Wattle Range Council area currently has the lowest double vaccination rate at 68 per cent.
Under the State Government’s Covid-19 roadmap, the South Australian borders will be opened on November 23 to all fully vaccinated people from all Australian states and territories.
Other restrictions eased on that date will include halving the quarantine period for vaccinated international arrivals from 14 days to seven and increasing the home gathering cap from 20 people to 30.
Current restrictions such as wearing masks in indoor public areas, density of activity requirements as well as the cap of 150 people for private functions, will stay in place until 90 per cent of the population aged 12 years and over is fully vaccinated when most restrictions are expected to be lifted.
The vaccination vans are one of the methods being used to increase the availability of vaccinations to the community to raise the vaccination rate.
Known as the vax van, the Limestone Coast’s Covid-19 van was in Mount Burr last Friday where more than 20 people were administered with vaccinations.
This follows its visit to industries in the region including abattoirs JBS in Bordertown and Teys in Naracoorte, timber company One Forty One sites and Kimberly-Clark Australia’s tissue paper mill near Millicent. The van has also been in Tarpeena and other outlying sites such as the Bellum Hotel near Mount Gambier.
This is helping to address a shortfall in the vaccination rate in the Limestone Coast, particularly in the Wattle Range Council area which, as at last Sunday, was at a 68.6 per cent two dose vaccination rate.
On a first dose basis, all council areas in the region have exceeded 80 per cent with Kingston at 88.8 per cent, Mount Gambier at more than 95 per cent, Naracoorte/Lucindale at 91.6 per cent, Robe at 90.1 per cent and Wattle Range at 88.1 per cent. No figures were available for Grant.
On a second dose basis, the highest rate is in Mt Gambier with 79.1 per cent followed by Naracoorte/Lucindale with 77 per cent, Kingston on 76.8 per cent, Robe on 75.5 per cent and Wattle Range on 68.6 per cent.
While the State as a whole is at 70 per cent two dose vaccination rate, the Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN) is optimistic that 80 per cent for the Limestone Coast region, before November 23 when the borders are intended to be open, is achievable.
In a statement this week, the LCLHN said: “We are pleased to see more than 70 per cent of South Australians aged 16 or over already fully vaccinated and we (in the Limestone Coast) are on track to reach the 80 per cent mark in the coming weeks.
“We received a great response from the community on our mobile vaccination van and we plan to visit other industry sites for a second round with our vaccination van to ensure more people in the community can roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated.
“We encourage people to continue to roll up to get vaccinated and we have appointments available, with walk-in appointments offered at selected LCLHN run clinics including Mount Gambier, Millicent and Kingston.
“We are always looking for ways to make the Covid-19 vaccine more accessible and will roll-out more mobile and pop-up clinics wherever possible.”
At Mount Burr last Friday, vax van staff Sue Carrison and Fiona Unger said the vehicle was well set up, was being appreciated by the community, and was helping immensely to increase the number of vaccination appointments available.
They said this was demonstrated by an increase from 7,500 vaccinations being administered in September, before the van was on the road in the region, to 9,500 in October.