22
Jun
2021
Sixty per cent of North Coast residents who responded to a community consultation on COVID-19 vaccination either plan to be vaccinated or have been already.
A further 18% said they would probably have the vaccine, 10% said they probably wouldn’t and 12% rejected the idea of COVID-19 vaccination.
Healthy North Coast, which delivers the Australian Government’s PHN program from Tweed Heads to Port Macquarie and inland, partnered with 89 Degrees East to develop the short online survey. It ran from 14 April to 15 May 2021 and attracted more than 1,000 respondents.
Healthy North Coast CEO, Julie Sturgess, thanked all participants for sharing their thoughts and feedback.
‘These responses from across the community help us to understand local sentiment, what people are thinking and how we can best serve their needs,’ Ms Sturgess said.
‘We’re interested in people’s views on vaccination and we’re carefully studying the feedback we’ve received, to help shape the local rollout of the vaccine program.
‘In the meantime, Healthy North Coast will continue to support our primary health carers and the community to stay COVID-safe right across the region.’
Key findings from the survey include:
The survey found 56% of people who support vaccination intend to get the jab when the vaccine is available to them (see table below). This compares to 42% from a national survey in April.
Ms Sturgess said it was understandable there was a level of vaccine hesitancy. She said Healthy North Coast would continue to provide the community with evidence-based information and guidance while supporting the Australian Government’s national vaccine rollout.
‘As we look to analyse and understand the survey results with other health sector partners, we expect to provide additional information on the findings and how they can help us tailor our approach to local communication, resourcing and engagement,’ she said.
*NB: this survey employed a non-probability sampling technique known as selective sampling. Under this technique, oversampling was undertaken to ensure that the sample sizes were large enough to provide statistically valid sample estimates for all sample strata. While the absence of random sampling of respondents means that the findings from this survey may not be statistically representative of the general population, they nevertheless provide an accurate and reliable picture of the Healthy North Coast region. Â
As at 15 June, more than 109,000 vaccine doses have been administered across the Healthy North Coast footprint, which covers from Tweed Heads to Port Macquarie and inland.
The Ballina Commonwealth Vaccination Clinic (CVC) began administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine this week and will be able to start accepting people aged 40 to 59.
Planning is underway to increase the number of CVCs offering the Pfizer vaccine. The 6 other CVCs in our region are at Murwillumbah, Casino, Yamba, Nambucca Heads, Kempsey and Wauchope.
Additionally, 20 local general practices are due to begin administering the Pfizer vaccine from 5 July, with a further 10 commencing on 12 July. More practices are expected to be onboarded from 19 July.
The best way for people to find out when and where to book a vaccination is by using the online Vaccine Eligibility Checker and clinic finder.
Container of Dreams and Healthy North Coast deliver a new life for Gabbi
North Coast residential aged care facilities complete vaccinations
Contact for media enquiries
Zoe Satherley (Mon-Wed)
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0428 623 093
Mike Hely (Wed-Fri)
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0437 978 473