Byron Bay and Grafton show worryingly low Covid-19 vaccination rates

Use our exclusive ‘heatmap’ to find out how your area compares to the rest of the North Coast for getting the jab.

It will probably come as no surprise to North Coast locals that the Byron and Mullumbimby areas have the lowest Covid-19 vaccination rates in the area.

The vaccination rate statistics have been released by NSW Health in a heatmap for the entire state, showing both the first and second dose rates for each postcode.

The data is given in 10 percentile bands to mask the exact numbers of vaccines given in each area.

The Daily Telegraph has drilled down into the data of the heatmap to produce this interactive where you can search your own postcode to see how the vaccination program is tracking.

For the Byron and Mullumbimby postcodes of 2481 and 2482 respectively, both have first dose rates of between 30-39 per cent, while fully vaccinated falls to between 10-19 per cent.

With the Byron’s eligible population of 11107, this means that between 4000-4999 people have received their first dose, and 2000-2999 are fully vaccinated.

The majority of those vaccinated in the area are over 50, with those under 50 making up only 1000-1999 of those having at least one dose.

There are signs the area is fighting back after it was thrust into the spotlight when three Sydney travellers visiting the area were tested positive, the first community transmission in the area since mid-2020.

At the southern end of the North Coast it is the 2455 postcode around the Woolgoolga area which has the highest vaccination rates for both first and second dose, with 60-69 per cent having had at least one shot of the vaccine, and 30-39 per cent fully vaccinated – the only postcode on the North Coast to sit as high.

Every other postcode in the North Coast sits between 40-59 per cent for first dose.

Worryingly for the Clarence Valley, while the biggest postcode around Grafton sits at 40-49 per cent, it is the highest populated postcode to sit in the 10-19 per cent for second doses.

Across the state, it will be of little surprise to see Sydney postcodes dominate the figures for vaccination rates, with the suburbs around Campbelltown and Richmond in the western suburbs showing a 90+ per cent rate of first vaccination, and more than 60 per cent fully vaccinated.

Registered nurse Tracy Harris is one of the first to be vaccinated in the new Grafton clinic as she receives her vaccine from clinical nurse consultant Kate Norton.

The western suburbs has been ravaged by the Delta variant over the past month, with harsh lockdowns being supplemented with massive vaccination programs.

This is obvious on the full heat map, with much of Sydney coloured darker blue to indicate their higher vaccination rates.

However not all of Sydney is heeding the message, with postcodes around suburbs such as the inner-city Chippendale and in the west at Chippendale both having the lowest rates in the state with only 20-29 per cent having received their first vaccination.

You can view the full heatmap of vaccination rates across the state here:

According to Healthy North Coast Nearly 195,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been given across the North Coast and our region is on par with national and State averages.

The best way to find out when and where to book a vaccination is by going to the Department of Health website and using the Vaccine Eligibility Checker.