The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) has administered its 100,000th COVID-19 vaccine.
The WACHS said since its vaccination program began on 2 March, it had expanded capacity for the delivery of vaccines as far south as Albany and to Wyndham in the north, spanning some 2.5 million square kilometres.
It said the Service was now operating clinics across almost 100 locations and continued to partner with Aboriginal Medical Services and the Royal Flying Doctor Service to ensure even the most remote communities were protected against the virus.
The WACHS said its Aboriginal Health Promotion teams were also achieving high vaccination rates in some remote communities.
It said the teams worked with community leaders and Aboriginal Elders to talk with residents about the importance of being vaccinated, and to bust myths about the vaccine.
“This includes the remote community of Warmun, 160 kilometres from Halls Creek, where more than 86 per cent of eligible residents have been vaccinated,” it said.
“As well, 65 per cent of eligible community members in Kalumburu, north of Wyndham, have received their first vaccine.”
The WACHS said that, to date, more than 160,000 country residents had been vaccinated by all providers, with the Service set to increase capacity even further and establish pop-up vaccination clinics to offer vaccines to local communities as supply increased.
It said the Service was also working with resource companies to begin vaccinating communities in regional towns.
Praising the WACHS’s milestone, Minister for Health, Roger Cook said while there was still a long way to go, he was confident the Service could continue to ramp up capacity as vaccine supply increased.
