Albany boasts highest COVID-19 vaccine rate in regional WA

Albany has recorded the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in regional WA during the first months of the nationwide vaccine rollout.

With a rate of 20,200 doses per 100,000 people, it is the strongest uptake, ahead of Manjimup with 18,300.

The highest rate in the State was in Perth’s western suburbs, with a vaccination rate of 40,490 doses, followed by the City of Melville with 29,527 and Fremantle with 28,762.

Pioneer Health’s Dr James Turner said Albany people seemed to be “getting on and getting vaccinated”. “It doesn’t surprise me, I have always thought that there are some vaccine-hesitant people but they actually the vocal minority,” he said.

Only 2.8 per cent of adults in WA are fully vaccinated — about half the rate of Tasmania, ACT and the Northern Territory.

Dr Turner said the Pioneer Health daily clinics were still fully booked.

He said the first batch of Pfizer vaccines for under-50s had been sent to the clinic .

“It is good that we can have more access to Pfizer vaccines for that age bracket,” he said. “You still have to match the eligibility criteria, frontline services and health care workers and so on.

“I think the Government is trying to increase the roll-out, and at some point it will be open to all under-50s, and Pfizer will be the vaccine of choice.

“This is the next step, so we are just continuing the processes of trying to get it done for the community.”

The clinic will be open for under-50s on Saturdays, with the first one this weekend. “We just ask people to ring because we do have to check availability,” Dr Turner said.