Men vaccinated against Covid faster than women, SA Health stats show

There’s a new gender gap in SA, official vax stats reveal, as a northern suburbs MP launches a broadside at SA Health, who he says failed to protect his community.

South Australian men have stormed ahead of women in the race to be vaccinated against Covid-19, figures show.

New federal data supplied by SA Health shows almost 52,000 more males than females have been fully vaccinated since the Covid immunisation rollout launched in February.

The surprising turnaround in the gender divide – just months ago females were way in front – emerged as fresh concerns were raised about jab rates across Adelaide’s north.

More than 463,000 SA males older than 16 are fully vaccinated compared to almost 412,000 women.

Almost 600,000 men have received at least one dose compared to 550,515 women.

Officials could not explain the surge but the state government launched its vaccine rollout in mid-February, initially to frontline health workers, quarantine and border workers, aged-care staff and nursing home residents.

Most frontline health and disability care staff are women.

People entering the Wayville COVID-19 vaccination hub. Picture: Brenton Edwards

An SA Health spokeswoman said it was “incredible to see so many South Australians rolling up their sleeves to get vaccinated against Covid-19”.

Latest figures show 61.3 per cent of eligible adults are fully vaccinated, while the first dose tally is expected to reach 80 per cent within days.

The state’s transition committee is this week due to approve SA’s road map out of pandemic restrictions.

SA Health on Saturday launched its “super walk-in weekend”, in which family activities and sausage sizzles are being provided at 15 walk-in clinics across the state.

But federal Labor MP Nick Champion has written to state Health Minister Stephen Wade accusing SA authorities of failing to protect communities in his northern suburbs electorate of Spence.

Federal data shows a third of Playford Council residents are fully vaccinated, while fewer than 40 per cent of people in the Salisbury Council area have had two jabs.

Mr Champion said SA Health had “failed” its core role of protecting communities. “(It) … makes clear that SA Health has failed in this regard, exposing Adelaide’s northern suburbs communities to unacceptable risk,” he wrote.

But Mr Wade said hundreds of appointments would be available at the Playford clinic in coming weeks, while mobile clinics had also been launched.

“The government has a strong focus on the northern suburbs which is intensifying as the vaccination program progresses,” he said.

“No other part of the metropolitan region will have as many clinics as the (north).”

Meanwhile, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says the results from Pfizer’s trials of third shots of its vaccine show the need for a mass program of booster shots.

On Friday, Pfizer said a third shot of its vaccine increased the protection by 95 per cent from two shots.

The findings show booster shots do not just restore protection from the virus to the level provided by two shots – they substantially increase it.

Experts welcomed the findings as a game-changer in the fight against coronavirus.

Originally published as Men vaccinated against Covid faster than women, SA Health stats show