Surf Coast rolls up

AS GOVERNMENTS focus on vaccination rates to end lockdowns, Surf Coast Shire claimed the accolade as the municipality with second highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the state this week.

Surf Coast was second to nearby Borough of Queenscliffe, where businesses and residents have been pushing to have restrictions eased, reflecting the milestones reached.

In terms of population, Surf Coast has 10 times more residents than the borough, and on Monday, was just a few jabs away from 80 per cent of its community, aged 15 and over, receiving a first dose of COVID vaccine.

Surf Coast Shire, with more than 26,580 residents eligible to be vaccinated, 56 per cent were fully vaccinated at the start of the week.

Queenscliffe, with a population of 2,610 aged 15 and over, had a fully vaccinated rate of 71.8 per cent and more than 91 per cent of the community had received their first dose.

Geelong region figures, which include Queenscliffe and part of Surf Coast, indicated that more than 71 per cent of residents had received their first COVID vaccine dose and almost 48 per cent had received two doses.

Barwon Health chief executive Frances Diver congratulated Geelong region residents on a “fantastic effort” to get vaccinated, which was the “best thing” people could do.

“People have come out in droves to get vaccinated,” Ms Diver said.

She said vaccination had also changed recently with a program to get Year 12s vaccinated being rolled out and the interval between AstraZenica doses being reduced to six weeks.

People can learn more about vaccination programs on the Barwon Health website or by contacting their local GP.