The SA farming and fishing community with one of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates

A regional South Australian pharmacist will travel to small communities within the Grant District Council area to host off-site vaccination clinics in an attempt to improve low vaccination rates. 

The local government area has one of the lowest recorded rates in the nation, with only 10.6 per cent of its 7,000 residents fully vaccinated, according to the latest federal government data.

With just 18.9 per cent of people having had their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, at the current rates the district may not reach the 80 per cent double-dose threshold until the second half of next year.

Concerned by the low numbers, Port MacDonnell pharmacist Amir Hanna has gained approval to travel to small towns across the region to offer the Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine to residents.

“The council has a big area with little towns scattered throughout, so I applied to be able to do vaccinations off-site, so that I will be able to go out and vaccinate people where they live,” Mr Hanna said.

Mr Hanna said now was a critical time for people to roll up their sleeves and get the jab.

“They can’t keep these restrictions forever, so one day the restrictions will be lifted, the borders will be open and it’s better for you to have protection when that happens,” he said.

Tourism concern

Grant District resident Grant Fensom, who lives at Port MacDonnell, was among the first to receive the vaccine due to his eligibility as a Country Fire Service volunteer.

“It didn’t hurt, I hardly felt it and I had no adverse reactions at all,” he said.

Grant District has vibrant fishing, farming and forestry industries and circles Mount Gambier,  which is the largest regional centre in South Australia.

It also attracts interstate visitors during the warmer months and Mr Fensom said the tourism industry could suffer if there was not a surge in the vaccination numbers.

“We’re a diverse area, we should be welcoming all people to be able to spend money, so I think we should be doing what we can to make it happen.”

Are the results accurate?

Mayor Richard Sage said he believed the results were potentially skewed.

“I think we really need to get some information around whether it’s done by postcode or where people are going to get vaccinated,” Cr Sage said.

In a statement, SA Health said officials were monitoring vaccination rates closely and constantly looking to increase the capacity to vaccinate South Australians against COVID-19.

The spokesperson said new vaccination clinic locations were being explored and launched across the state.

“We continue to monitor capacity and supply according to community demand and would like to remind everyone to regularly check the website for new appointments if they haven’t yet made a booking.”

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