SEBASTOPOL, Delacombe and Winter Valley might be lagging in COVID jabs, while Buninyong is looking particularly protected but new extra detail by postcodes still does not offer a clear enough picture on the jab front, Ballarat mayor Daniel Moloney says.
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Cr Moloney has long championed the need for federal government to provide more refined demographic details so governments and health bodies can better understand vaccine gaps for groups by age, gender and location.
As Victoria neared its 80 per cent fully vaccinated target, Cr Moloney said the clock was ticking to better target the right vaccine messaging and access to ensure everyone in this city had the chance for protection against the deadly virus.
Ballarat has recorded 10 new COVID infections on Wednesday, bringing the city's tally to 29 active cases, according to Victoria's health department as regional cases continue to grow. There were 611 active COVID cases outside of Melbourne on Wednesday.
Victoria's COVID response commander Jeroen Weimar said while the numbers in Ballarat were large, contact tracing has enabled them to track most of the Ballarat infections. At least three of the new cases were household contacts and at least three were linked to disability support services.
There are also two cases listed for postcode 3352 which includes some parts of Ballarat, Moorabool and Golden plains shires.
Cr Moloney said it was concerning City of Ballarat would effectively open up, with the whole state to become one again, by late November and not everyone might have had the best chance to be vaccinated.
If we learn, for example, 20-something males are missing then we have a range of football and cricket clubs ready to help promote the message to members to get vaccinated. Or, it could be 50-plus-year-old females. But we don't have that insight yet.
- City of Ballarat mayor Daniel Moloney
Health authorities have already flagged COVID cases would likely continue to rise as the state opened up. Grampians Public Health Unit medical director Rosemary Aldrich was among leaders reiterating vaccination was vital to best protect yourself, your family and the community, particularly against the highly-virulent Delta strain.
Cr Moloney said vaccine numbers by postcode was a "big step in the right direction but not far enough" due to large and varied demographics of Ballarat's five major postcode areas.
The latest COVID vaccine data by postcode, from last week, shows postcode 3356 (Sebastopol, Delacombe and Winter Valley) has only a first dose jab rate of 55-60 per cent of the eligible population and 35 to 40 per cent range for double-doses.
In contrast, postcode 3357 (Buninyong) had more than 95 per cent of its eligible population with at least one jab, reaching the 80 per cent target on September 2. Buninyong also had more than 65 per cent of eligible residents fully vaccinated.
Vaccination figures for City of Ballarat as a whole at the same time were 83.6 per cent first doses and 53.5 double-jabbed but these have steadily risen in the past week. Postcode 3350 was a similar reflection to City of Ballarat local government area jab rates.
"It's good we're starting to see more postcode data but it still can be a little hard to tell who is getting the vaccine," Cr Moloney said. "Postcode 3350 includes Alfredton, which has one of the city's youngest populations, and the slightly older demographic found in central Ballarat.
"...As the campaign is really getting to the pointy end, we need more and more precise data."
City of Ballarat had written to the federal government seeking more vaccine detail and has had a meeting with the federal government's local government assistant minister Kevin Hogan, who is also assistant minister to Australia's deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.
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The federal government's vaccination data started broadly by region and shifted to local government areas in late August.
Cr Moloney said each shift helped provide greater insight.
"If we learn, for example, 20-something males are missing then we have a range of football and cricket clubs ready to help promote the message to members to get vaccinated. Or, it could be 50-plus-year-old females. But we don't have that insight yet," Cr Moloney said.
"...It's now getting to a point we need to hear from targeted community leaders for that final vaccine backing."
Ballarat Community Health chief executive officer Sean Duffy told The Courier last week the most vulnerable people in the community typically had poorer health outcomes and COVID vaccinations had elevated this fact.
Mr Duffy has also made clear the critical importance for identifying gaps in vaccine access and using innovative methods to improve reach, such as pop-up jab centres with community groups, sporting clubs, town halls and workplaces.
Ballarat Community Health has this week reconfigured its COVID vaccination program to a hub focus in its Sebastopol centre on Vickers Street.
Mr Duffy said the centralised move should allow for greater efficiency and an increase in bookings while also allowing improved vaccination outreach in partnership with Grampians Public Health Unit. Outreach has included a weekly pop-up COVID vaccination program with Headspace in Camp Street for community youth.
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