Vulnerable groups in danger of being left behind in Covid-19 vaccine rollout, says ACOSS

Australia’s most vulnerable could be over-represented among the unvaccinated when the nation hits its 70 per cent target unless government starts prioritising them now, welfare group ACOSS warns

National cabinet should set ­specific Covid-19 vaccination targets for Australia’s most high-risk groups instead of relying on the 70 or 80 per cent ­target to open up the country, the nation’s peak welfare group says.

First Nations communities, people with disabilities or those living with chronic illness and those on low incomes or living in rural and remote regions are some of groups already being left behind in the vaccine rollout, the Australian Council of Social Service said, and should be both ­prioritised for the jab and have specific vaccination targets assigned.

People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those in insecure housing, and refugees and asylum-seekers are others needing specific support and separate targets, ACOSS said.

“We know high-risk groups are being left behind in the vaccination rollout (so) when it comes to setting targets, we can’t just say, for example, that we need to get to 80 per cent vaccinated, full stop,” ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie said.

Australian Council of Social Service chief executive Cassandra Goldie.

“This would leave a serious risk that groups of people most at risk have vaccination rates far lower than the national rate, leaving them exposed to the ­ravages of Covid.”

ACOSS is calling on national cabinet, which meets on Friday, to agree to release more detailed vaccination data broken down by these population groups, down to the postcode level, matched with existing data on socio-economic status and ­income.

“It’s crucial that up-to-date data is released publicly at least weekly to clearly show local ­vaccination rates as well as rates by population group for ­example, by Indigeneity, country of birth, language spoken at home, and disability,” Dr Goldie said.

“By making this data as transparent and as timely as possible, we can all clearly see where ­efforts need to be urgently ­targeted.”

Vulnerable groups can have greater barriers to accessing ­vaccinations, ACOSS said, ­“including geography, income and wealth, communication ­barriers, health literacy and ­confusing messages, mobility and lack of access to health ­services”.

ACOSS has been engaged in recent discussions with the ­Operation Covid Shield and the Vaccination Taskforce about how to ensure vulnerable groups are front of mind as the rollout ramps up, and has developed a set of vaccination principles.

The principles state that population-specific targets are key to delivering equity during the rollout.

“If Australia was to ‘open up’ once 80 per cent of the population was fully vaccinated, the last 20 per cent of people who may face multiple barriers to vaccination could be heavily clustered in populations most at risk to the ravages of Covid,” the document states.