Victoria's most to least vaccinated local government areas revealed - ABC Local

New data from the federal Department of Health reveals Victoria's rural and regional council areas are largely outperforming their metropolitan counterparts when it comes to COVID-19 vaccination rates.

Key points:

• Newly released federal data is showing the vaccination rates across local government areas
• There are variations in second-dose vaccination rates in metropolitan areas, with the highest 46.6 per cent, the lowest 22.4 per cent
• In the regions and rural areas of the state, the highest vaccination rate is 64 per cent and the lowest 30.2 per cent

In the City of Hume, where 20 of yesterday's 92 reported new COVID-19 cases were recorded, just 22.4 per cent of people aged 15 and over have received two doses of a vaccine.

Double-dose vaccination figures are also below 30 per cent in the City of Melbourne, Greater Dandenong, Brimbank, Casey, Cardinia, Darebin, Melton, Moreland, Whittlesea and Wyndham areas.

However, vaccination rates are higher in parts of Melbourne's inner-south and eastern suburbs.

The state's COVID-19 response commander, Jeroen Weimar, said the "younger age profile" of residents in northern and western council areas was partly the reason for their lower vaccination rates.

Melbourne's inner bayside suburbs are faring strongest when it comes to second-dose vaccination rates.(

Supplied: Federal Department of Health

)

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Mr Weimar said there had been "a massive surge in support" since Victoria opened Pfizer access to 16 to 39-year-olds last week.

Outer Melbourne suburbs have further to go when it comes to double-vaccination rates.(

Supplied: Federal Department of Health

)

"We are seeing a big and enthusiastic uptake in the west and in the north for vaccination," Mr Weimar said.

"The challenge is we've booked out all the supply we have got now.

"We need more supply to keep the vaccination programs going."

Read more about the vaccine rollout:

Small shires leading way

Victoria's most-vaccinated local government area is the small Borough of Queenscliffe, on the Bellarine Peninsula, south-east of Geelong.

Almost 87 per cent of the borough's 2,610 residents aged 15 and over have had at least one dose of a vaccine, while 64 per cent are fully vaccinated.

The Borough of Queenscliffe has the highest vaccination rate in Victoria as of August 27, 2021.(

Supplied: Federal Department of Health

)

The Buloke Shire in rural north-west Victoria is also performing well, with more than 71 per cent of residents having received at least one dose and nearly half fully vaccinated.

Wycheproof resident Ann Durie said "everyone got really scared" when a COVID-positive man stopped at her bakery on the way back to Mildura from Melbourne in July, turning it into an exposure site.

"The doctor has a COVID clinic every Tuesday and it was slowing down a bit but, when we got this scare, it was really busy," she said.

Ms Durie said Buloke Shire residents had good access to vaccines, while lockdown fatigue was another motivating factor.

Wycheproof residents were shocked when their town's Bakery on Broadway became an exposure site in July.(

Facebook: Bakery on Broadway

)

Outer areas lagging behind

Two of the three local government areas in Victoria with lowest second-dose vaccination rates are a good distance away from Melbourne.(

Supplied: Federal Department of Health

)

Warrnambool leads Victoria's regional cities, with 43.7 per cent of its residents fully vaccinated, while Mildura lags behind with a full vaccination rate of 30.6 per cent.

Mildura Mayor Jason Modica got his first vaccine dose on Friday — as part of a local awareness campaign involving two health services, the council and a local newspaper encouraging greater take-up.

The Wentworth and Balranald local government areas in New South Wales, which neighbour Mildura, have even lower vaccination rates.

"We are a long way away from where, historically, over the last 15 months, all the cases have been," Cr Modica said.

"That's changing now, and with New South Wales being pretty much covered with COVID one way or the other, that may change the uptake in the next week or two."

Mildura Mayor Jason Modica has just had his first COVID-19 vaccine dose.(

ABC News: Christopher Testa

)

See how your area compares 

LGA	First dose recipients (%)	Second dose recipients (%)	Total population aged 15 and over
Alpine Shire	67.1	39.6	10,732
Ararat Rural City	64.3	46.1	9,944
Ballarat	58.9	39.7	88,323
Banyule	61.2	40.6	107,523
Bass Coast Shire	68.2	40.9	30,332
Baw Baw	56.1	34.3	42,887
Bayside	69.2	45.6	87,219
Benalla	66.7	43.8	11,824
Boroondara	63.4	43	152,935
Brimbank	45.4	25.1	171,362
Buloke Shire	71.6	48.4	5,123
Campaspe	62.2	36.1	30,917
Cardinia	50.1	28.2	86.129
Casey	47.7	27.8	273,232
Central Goldfields	66.5	43.9	11,110
Colac-Otway	61.8	38.4	17,696
Corangamite Shire	64.9	38.6	13,141
Darebin	48.4	29.7	139,021
East Gippsland	66.5	43	39,596
Frankston	53.8	30.7	115,844
Gannawarra	64.2	35.4	8,756
Glen Eira	59.2	37.9	128,766
Glenelg	61.6	35.1	16,561
Golden Plains	56.7	35	18,450
Greater Bendigo	62	40.7	95,200
Greater Dandenong	43.2	24.1	138,053
Greater Geelong	63.8	41.4	211,830
Greater Shepparton	56.1	33.1	52,988
Hepburn Shire	64.9	42.4	13,467
Hindmarsh Shire	60.9	32.1	4,723
Hobsons Bay	55.2	34.1	79,604
Horsham	61.4	40.1	16,016
Hume	40.8	22.4	180,782
Indigo Shire	68.1	37.2	13,733
Kingston	57.3	35	136,655
Knox	55.4	33.2	135,647
Latrobe City	51.1	32.7	61,811
Loddon Shire	62.7	35.8	6,339
Macedon Ranges	67.1	40.1	39,626
Manningham	57.9	36.7	106,558
Mansfield Shire	65.7	33.9	7,567
Maribyrnong	50.8	31.2	79,009
Maroondah	56.6	35.1	96,377
Melbourne	39.3	24.5	168,298
Melton	46.5	23.9	124,611
Mildura Rural City	50.5	30.6	45,044
Mitchell Shire	51.4	32.3	36,387
Moira Shire	62.6	37.6	24,759
Monash	51.8	32.7	171,519
Moonee Valley	56.1	35	108,789
Moorabool Shire	57.1	31.6	27,901
Moreland	48.4	29.2	156,305
Mornington Peninsula	65	42.1	138,719
Mount Alexander Shire	67.9	45.9	16,789
Moyne Shire	65.2	39.2	13,498
Murrindindi	58.5	33.2	12,242
Nillumbik	64.3	40.8	52,476
Northern Grampians	64	41.2	9,646
Port Phillip	54.8	35.3	102,175
Pyrenees Shire	61.9	38.8	6,297
Queenscliffe	86.9	64	2,610
South Gippsland	62.6	37.2	24,475
Southern Grampians	71	41.7	13,285
Stonnington	57	37.1	103,900
Strathbogie Shire	64.6	40.1	9,174
Surf Coast Shire	73.1	48.3	26,584
Swan Hill	57.5	34.3	16,639
Towong Shire	67.4	37.6	5,069
Wangaratta	65.9	39.7	23,818
Warrnambool	66.5	43.7	28,859
Wellington Shire	60.6	39.2	36,486
West Wimmera	64.6	30.2	3,178
Whitehorse	56.2	36	149,611
Whittlesea	43.2	25.6	180,925
Wodonga	60.1	35.4	33,295
Wyndham	49.7	26.7	201,181
Yarra	53.5	34.1	90,535
Yarra Ranges	53.6	31.8	129,169
Yarriambiack	67	41.3	5,517
Unincorporated	24.6	12.6	768

Country residents want vaccines

Rural Doctors Association of Victoria president Dr Rob Phair said the figures suggest, in regional areas, it was "all about access and not so much about hesitancy".

He said the data was "useful and reassuring", with progress being made, "even in some of the more remote areas of the state".

"For example, if you look at West Wimmera — which has only got 30.2 per cent of second doses received — it's got a good number of first doses received," Dr Phair said.

"To me, that says it took a little longer to get the vaccination programs established, but now they are established, they're kicking goals."

Fully-vaccinated Warrnambool Mayor Vicki Jellie said a partnership between her council and South West Healthcare had helped promote the city's strong rate of take-up.

"I hope the pace of the rollout will continue," she said.

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Victoria's most to least vaccinated local government areas revealed - ABC Local
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