North-south divide in Adelaide vaccination uptake
South Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout remains unevenly distributed, with vaccination rates in parts of Adelaide’s northern suburbs more than 20 per cent behind the state’s inner-metropolitan and southern suburban areas.
Photo: AAP/Morgan Sette
The latest Federal Government vaccination data shows 59.9 per cent of South Australia’s population over the age of 16 has had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 41.2 per cent fully vaccinated as of Monday.
But the Commonwealth’s latest geographical breakdown of vaccination rates, correct as of Sunday, shows local government areas in the northern suburbs continue to fall behind.
Playford, which covers suburbs such as Angle Vale, Davoren Park and Elizabeth, has only reached a first jabbed rate of 43.2 per cent.
Salisbury, which has a population of more than 110,000 people, has only reached 49.3 per cent on the same metric.
Meanwhile, eight South Australian local government areas have passed 70 per cent, with Burnside leading the way in Adelaide with 75.8 per cent, followed by Holdfast Bay (72.6 per cent), Mitcham (71.8 per cent) and the Adelaide Hills (71.5 per cent).
Top five South Australian LGAs by first dose percentage (over-15s):
| Orroroo/Carrieton | 76.8 |
| Burnside | 75.8 |
| Victor Harbor | 73.5 |
| Walkerville | 72.2 |
| Mitcham | 71.8 |
| Unley | 71 |
Overall, the Adelaide Central and Hills region has a 67 per cent vaccination rate, while the Adelaide South region is at 64.3 per cent.
Adelaide North is around 15 per cent behind at 51.8 per cent.
Bottom five South Australian LGAs by first dose percentage
| Grant | 16.9 |
| Playford | 43.2 |
| Adelaide Plains | 45.8 |
| Peterborough | 48.7 |
| Salisbury | 49.3 |
The disparity comes after the State Government last week announced it would open a new pop-up vaccine clinic in Pooraka offering 1500 Pfizer appointments a week in a bid to boost the lagging rollout in the northern suburbs.
Health Minister Stephen Wade on Tuesday said that the second half of South Australia’s vaccine rollout would be more challenging.
“It’d be fair to say whilst we have 40 per cent of South Australians fully vaccinated, nearly 60 per cent with at least one dose, the heavy lifting is yet to come,” Wade told ABC Radio.
“Many of the people who’ve already been vaccinated were keen to be vaccinated – they were more accessible.
“We’ve dealt with the low hanging fruit, now we need to continue to increase our effort to those pockets of low vaccination.”
Shadow health spokesperson Chris Picton said the northern suburbs have “one of the lowest local vaccination rates in the country”.
“This is why we have been proposing we need more vaccination centres, more appointment availability, and more vaccine advertising campaigns,” he said.
“There also needs to be more extensive work with multicultural community groups and community leaders in the northern suburbs to highlight the importance of protecting the community through safe vaccination.
“We have also been advocating for mass vaccination centres in the western suburbs and north eastern suburbs as well. These areas previously had hospital-based clinics at QEH and Modbury Hospital but they were closed.”
South Australia’s rollout still ranks third slowest nation, ahead of only Western Australia (57.6 per cent one dose) and Queensland (57.1 per cent one dose).
According to the Federal Government’s data, 87.5 per cent of South Australia’s over-70s have had at least one dose of a vaccine as well as 78.7 per cent of over-50s.
Meanwhile, 90.6 per cent of South Australia’s residential aged care workers have received a jab ahead of Friday’s mandatory vaccination deadline for Commonwealth aged care workers.
| Region | Percentage over-15: one dose | Percentage over-15: fully vaccinated |
| Adelaide – Central and Hills | 67 | 46.8 |
| Adelaide – South | 64.3 | 46 |
| Barossa – Yorke – Mid North | 61 | 42.1 |
| SA – South East | 58.9 | 38.6 |
| Adelaide – West | 55.7 | 35.7 |
| SA – Outback | 54.5 | 37.1 |
| Adelaide – North | 51.8 | 35.1 |
