The WA Vaccine Commander said WA Health is doing everything it can to lift vaccination rates in Aboriginal communities, as the state's hard border is set to lift tomorrow.
Key points:
- The WA Vaccine Commander says staff are being sent to the regions to help lift Indigenous vaccination rates
- An Aboriginal Medical Service says there's some anxiety around the border opening, but plans are in place
- WACHS is concerned false positive tests in the Kimberley could deter people from testing
Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Dreibergs said an additional 50 health workers are being sent from Perth to support local health services.
Indigenous vaccination rates in the Goldfields and the Pilbara were particularly concerning, with double dose rates near 50 and 55 percent respectively, he said.
"That's nowhere near the sort of levels we want it to get to," Mr Dreibergs told the ABC.
"We really want to drive that forward and harder now in the next six weeks as Omicron's on our doorstep."
He said the extra support would help local services increase opening hours at vaccination clinics and community outreach.
"We've got additional vans going up to the Goldfields very soon, and we've got additional clinics... ...and the Aboriginal medical services have got some extra staff to do some work as well," Deputy Commissioner Dreibergs said.
Additional resources, as part of the "Keep culture safe and strong: get the needle now" initiative, will also be sent to Geraldton, Carnarvon and Meekatharra.
Border opening fuels anxiety
Clive Holt from Bega Garnbirringu, which is the main Aboriginal Medical Service in the Goldfields said the data on Indigenous vaccination rates can often be conflicting.
He said the long-anticipated border opening is creating some anxiety, but the service has worked on its plan to manage the situation.
"Like anything when it actually happens, there will always be a slightly elevated level of anxiety amongst people," Mr Holt said.
"Obviously, we're doing whatever we can to ensure people stay calm, we've got really good safety measures and protocols in place."
Mr Holt said Bega had received three additional nurses through the federal government, but hadn't yet received the detail of any additional staff coming from the state government.
He said the service was aware of a new vaccination bus organised by the WA Country Health Service.
"We are liaising with WACHS to see what their schedule is, and we'll we'll work in with whatever other inputs are going on out there, provided we can do it in a safe way," Mr Holt said.
The CEO confirmed that the service had temporarily suspended its outreach services as COVID cases grew in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, where the service was based.
"We are reassessing that on daily basis," Mr Holt said.
"It's not just about keeping staff safe, it's also about ensuring that we are not posing a risk or threat to the communities we are visiting."
Concern false positives will deter testing
With cases continuing to spread right across the state, health authorities have also flagged concerns that a string of false-positive cases in the Kimberley may have impacted people’s confidence in the testing processes.
Fifty-five cases across Bidyadanga and Beagle Bay in the West Kimberley were reclassified earlier this week, after additional testing in Perth revealed the cases not to be COVID-19.
The false positives were traced to a particular testing machine used by Aboriginal Medical Services on urgent cases, which has since been replaced.
But the WA Country Health Service was increasingly concerned the false positives may impact the public’s response to another potential outbreak, with two cases and exposure sites being monitored in Halls Creek.
WACHS Kimberley public health physician Dr Pippa May said she understood people’s scepticism around the false positives, but the situation in Halls Creek differed significantly.
“The reason being is that these results have been confirmed at PathWest in Perth,” Dr May said.
"So on completely different testing platforms – they are true PCR results, they are true cases of COVID 19."
While just one additional case has been detected in the Kimberley today – in Fitzroy Crossing – Dr May said the situation in Halls Creek was being monitored closely.
"Halls Creek, as I’m sure you’re aware, has a relatively low vaccination rate compared to the rest of Western Australia,” she said.
"So it is possible that we will have significant spread, and some people experiencing severe symptoms of COVID."
She urged anyone in the wider Kimberley with COVID symptoms to get tested as soon as possible, with residents also urged to book in for their COVID vaccination or booster as soon as they become eligible.