Shepparton's vaccine rollout is lagging behind the rest of the state with statistics showing the region has the lowest percentage of fully vaccinated people in regional Victoria.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Vaccine rates released by the Federal Government this week show 19.3 per cent of people aged over 15 have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in Shepparton.
It places the region 15th in the state, above just four outer Melbourne areas.
Geelong has the highest percentage of fully vaccinated residents, with 25.9 per cent of its population having received two jabs of Pfizer or AstraZeneca.
Bendigo, at 25.1 per cent, ranks in second, with Ballarat coming in third at 23.5 per cent.
Shepparton also has the lowest percentage of partially vaccinated people in regional Victoria, with 46 per cent of people aged over 15 having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine - more than six per cent behind Bendigo, currently leading for first doses.
Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell said she was "really excited" to see Bendigo leading Australia in its vaccination rates.
“But then when I saw Shepparton was trailing so far behind and lowest in regional communities that dampened my mood,” she said.
“I don't understand why it is in Shepparton, it's certainly because we haven't got the doses.
“I was really surprised when I went to the McIntosh Centre to get my second AstraZeneca vaccination there was hardly anyone there . . . there's ample opportunity for people in Shepparton to get a vaccination if they can get in.”
Ms Lovell said it would be "helpful" to extend weekend availability at the Goulburn Valley vaccination hub, currently open Monday to Friday.
“I would encourage everyone to get their vaccination, the only chance we have of returning to a relatively normal life in Australia is to get high numbers of people vaccinated,” she said.
State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed agreed.
She said communication was "always an issue", and called for expanded hours and increased public messaging on where and how to get the vaccine.
“Much of the difficulty in getting the right messages out during this whole pandemic has been around poor communication,” she said.
“It's important the state government provides the resources that are needed because I know how hard people are working on a local level.
“I can't help but think when you look at Bendigo and Geelong which are much higher and open all weekend that your strike rate is going to be greater.”
Ms Sheed said with a high proportion of food processing workers, it was unrealistic to expect workers could get vaccinated on weekdays alone.
“I think accessibility is so important - to make it easy is the thing you need to do especially when you're in an area where there is no current outbreak.”
Federal Member for Nicholls Damian Drum encouraged everyone to get vaccinated "as soon as they can".
“Do your research before getting the jab, but please get your information from reliable and credible sources – not an online forum or chat group where conspiracy theorists lurk and where it is easy to become confused about what is real and what isn’t,” he said.
“I received my second dose of AstraZeneca on Friday at the McIntosh Centre in Shepparton, so I’m happy to be fully vaccinated and I urge others to do the same.
“The Federal Government has . . . a target of getting 70 per cent of eligible Australians vaccinated, so lockdowns are less likely, restrictions are eased, and many freedoms returned.”
Despite lower figures compared to the rest of the state, Shepparton's vaccination rate is still higher than that in NSW, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia.
Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton said there would "always" be discrepancy across local government areas, but differences tended to align "a little bit more with social disadvantage".
“We know there's a bigger multicultural mix in some of our local government areas and we need to be able to ensure we've got that tailored information and engagement,” Mr Sutton said.
“(But) overall, Victoria (has) very good . . . vaccination coverage on a per capita basis.”
Currently, bilingual workers employed by the Shepparton Ethnic Council are offering translation services at the GV Health Vaccination Hub to encourage diverse communities to receive the jab.
GV Afghani Women's Association leader Zahra Haydar Big said the service was "vital" to strengthen engagement with Shepparton's ethnic communities.
“I've seen significant hesitancy among ethnic communities towards the vaccine rollout, many vulnerable people face greater barriers,” she said.
“Members of ethnic communities need bilingual workers and leaders, and local services.”
Overall, Victoria's rollout ranks third across the nation with 20.39 per cent of its population fully vaccinated, coming in behind Tasmania and the Northern Territory, both at just over 23 per cent.
Cadet journalist