Regional town is Australia's surprising vaccine leader with more than half its residents receiving at least one jab
- Bendigo in regional Victoria is one of leading areas for vaccination in Australia
- More than half the town's residents have had their first vaccine dose
- A immunisation hub in the town is currently administering 600 doses a day
A town in regional Australia is setting the pace in Australia's journey towards immunisation and emerging from the Covid pandemic.
Bendigo in central Victoria about a two hour drive north of Melbourne with it's population of about 120,000 locals is among those leading the country in vaccination rates.
New figures reveal more than half of the eligible population in the town have had their first jab of a COVID-19 vaccine at 52.6 per cent.
Bendigo in central Victoria about a two hour drive north of Melbourne with it's population of about 120,000 locals is among those leading the country in vaccination rates
Bendigo in central Victoria about a two hour drive north of Melbourne with it's population of about 120,000 locals is among those leading the country in vaccination rates
The average for the rest of the state is 42.58 per cent while the national average for those over 16 is 41.4 per cent.
More than a quarter of Bendigo's resident's are also fully vaccinated at 25.1 per cent with local health bosses saying even more would be rolling up their sleeves for the jab if the supply was there.
'Our issue has never been about hesitancy because there's a whole lot of people who want to get the vaccine or will get it,' Bendigo Health chairman Bob Cameron told The Age.
They key to their success seems to be a combination of trusted and efficient local health organisations, along with bringing workplaces on board and tailoring information campaigns to multicultural groups.
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A vaccine hub opened in the town in May capable of vaccinating up to 1,000 people a day with 80 car parks nearby.
'The building used to be a supermarket and then it's been used as a call centre. So this is a perfectly suited location,' Bendigo East MP Jacinta Allan told the ABC.
She said the central CBD location with public transport nearby would 'make it easy for people to come, get their vaccine dose and be part of the program to keep our community safe'.
A vaccine clinic was held for the Karen community of refugees from Burma (pictured)
The hub, currently delivering about 600 doses a day, is also the only place in central Victoria administering the Pfizer vaccine to eligible groups.
About 6,000 doses have also been given out by Bendigo Health's outreach program, mostly to workplaces and multicultural communities.
Bendigo has a large Karen refugee population of more than 1,100 people or 375 families,
Three vaccination clinics have been held with interpreters present at the town's Bhuddist monastery for the ethnic group originating from Burma.
'Another successful COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for the Karen community completed.' the health service wrote to Facebook on August 2.
'It's such an honour to help our refugee communities learn about and get the COVID-19 vaccine.'
A Karen translator is on staff at Bendigo Community Health Services who posts videos on the organisation's page explaining lockdown restrictions and the vaccine rollout in the language.
There has also been a phone helpline setup to support the community by answering questions in the native language.
'The hotline plays a very important role in engaging people to come forward to have their vaccine,' refugee project worker Nido said.
There is also an Afghan refugee community which have had two similar clinics provided.
Adding to Bendigo's impressive vaccination rates is the fact a large population also works in the healthcare industry.
Staff from Bendigo Community Health Service hold up and award for reaching 2,000 doses of Covid vaccine administered (pictured)
'Everybody knows someone who works at the hospital or works in health and was involved in the second wave last year. I think that brings a realness and humanity to it,' Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit director Casey Nottage said.
The leading areas for the population having at least one dose of the vaccine in other states are in NSW: North Sydney and Hornsby at 51.9 per cent.
Darwin in the NT at 43 per cent, South Adelaide in SA at 46.1 per cent, and West Brisbane in Queensland at 46.2 per cent.
While in Tasmania, Hobart has a 50.8 vaccination rate for the first dose and Inner PErth leads the way in WA at 48.9 per cent.
