In one remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory, the local clinic is stocked with COVID-19 vaccines, but most residents are too afraid to get vaccinated.
Sitting alone, in blistering 44 degree heat, Peter Corbett says he is worried about the confusion that has taken hold in a community with one of Australia's lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates.
"If [COVID-19] comes in the community, people will move out and live out bush … that's what some are thinking," Mr Corbett says. The local health clinic, which is tucked around the back of the community and run by the Northern Territory government, is stocked with vaccines. "I want health workers to come, do door knocking … talking to people, showing them pictures, videos, all that about COVID," he says.
The Aboriginal community-controlled organisation says it does not publish data broken down to the community level to avoid stigmatisation, although it hasGrandmother Annie Young, who proudly calls herself the first to get vaccinated in Santa Teresa, is also worried about the misinformation spreading among residents, and spearheads regular community meetings for residents to talk through their concerns.
"They say it is against God's law and it's against the Bible to get the vaccine … and some people are falling for it, unfortunately."Under the federal government's vaccination rollout plan, remote Aboriginal people were supposed to be in the first priority group to be vaccinated months ago.
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