Image:Nurse prepares Covid-19 swab at Walgett Hospital

As Indigenous Australians make up two-thirds of Covid-19 infections in Western NSW’s outbreak, there are serious concerns about the virus circulating within these communities. Vaccination rates of Indigenous Australians in the states’ far west are among the lowest in the country. Just 8% of the Indigenous population in Western NSW had been fully inoculated at the start of the outbreak. Pop-up vaccination hubs have now opened in Walgett, Brewarinna, Bourke, and Dubbo with Pfizer rushed to regional clinics to urgently address shortfalls in the rollout. ADF troops have been deployed to the region to assist with medical equipment and staff shortages.

Produced By: Tahlia Kraefft

Featured In Story: Dr. Jason Agostino, Medical Advisor for National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, Roy Butler, NSW Member for Barwon , and Robert Skeen, Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council NSW

First aired on The Wire, Monday 16 August 2021