- Published:
- Monday 4 October 2021
In a call to action for locals, COVID-19 vaccination data – which will be regularly published by the Victorian Government – reveals 27 suburban Melbourne postcodes with lower first dose vaccination coverage than the 80-plus per cent Victorian average.
Victoria’s vaccination program will focus on uplifting vaccination rates in these suburbs from current first dose coverage rates of under 75 per cent, to 80 per cent and beyond.
Suburbs include outer-suburban areas such as Campbellfield and Frankston North and inner-urban areas such as St Kilda and Kensington. People will be able to identify the vaccination rate in their suburb in a new, interactive map.
The postcode-driven push is supported by community partnerships, and the Victorian Government’s COVID-19 Vaccination Enhancement Grants to help GPs and community pharmacies order and administer more vaccines.
Round one of the vaccination enhancement grants for priority Local Government Areas in Melbourne was finalised yesterday, with over 300 GPs and community pharmacies to share in $1.5 million to drive local points of access.
Among the grant recipients are 92 GPs and community pharmacies servicing the Casey, Cardinia and Greater Dandenong areas – an emerging area of concern among public health officials.
As part of their applications, providers outlined how the grants will help them drive more uptake. A western suburbs GP clinic stated that the second floor of their premises, currently not in use, can become a new, larger vaccination area thanks to the grant. Another said the grant means they can double their rate of vaccination.
Many of the providers who were successful are close to schools, places of worship and industrial precincts, and connected to the communities that they will be helping vaccinate – like a pharmacy in the south east where staff speak more than ten languages.
A significant portion of the GPs and community pharmacies supported under Round One of the grant program are located in the 27 newly identified priority postcodes, which are:
3023, 3037 and 3335 in the western suburbs (covering Deer Park, Hillside and Caroline Springs areas, stretching to Rockbank) 3428, 3063 and 3430 (covering Bulla and other areas in Melbourne’s outer northwest) 3047, 3048, 3060, 3061, 3072, 3073, 3074, 3075, 3076, 3081, 3083, 3086 (a large area in Melbourne’s north, encompassing Dallas, Coolaroo, Fawkner, Campbellfield, Preston, Reservoir, Thomastown, Lalor, Epping, Heidelberg West and areas near La Trobe University) 3175, 3177 and 3976 (covering the Doveton, Dandenong and Hampton Park areas) 3200 (Frankston North area) 3011 and 3031 (Footscray and Kensington areas) 3182, 3183 and 3184 (St Kilda area)
Vaccination data by Victorian postcode (including doses administered across state-run and commonwealth-run settings) will be published online today at www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/weekly-covid-19-vaccine-data
Victorians wanting to book their vaccination can do so at a pharmacy, GP or state-run vaccination centre near them – or can walk up without a booking at one of ten state-run centres to receive Moderna.
The second tranche of vaccine enhancement grants are now available for priority LGAs in regional Victoria. EOIs are open now and due 12pm on Sunday 10 October 2021.
Providers receiving the grant will be required to order and administer their full available allocation of vaccine from the Commonwealth and have the infrastructure and staff available to maximise delivery over the next two weeks. To lodge an EOI, visit https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccination-enhancement-grants.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“Victorians have done an incredible job, but we know we can do even more to improve access to vaccinations and boost coverage right across Victoria.”
“These grants to GPs and pharmacies are part of our vaccine push – taking a closer look at certain postcodes and communities and supporting trusted local providers in those areas.”