A SOFTWARE error was behind incorrect Indigenous vaccination statistics published last week for Victoria, with the data falsely showing the state leading the immunisation race for First Nations people.
The faulty numbers from the Australian Immunisation Register occurred when anyone receiving a COVID-19 vaccine was not identified as Indigenous or non-Indigenous.
The system interpreted all those who weren’t labelled as automatically Indigenous.
The information originally said that there were 47,954 Indigenous people, aged 12 or over, who had received one vaccine dose, with 30,951 fully vaccinated, in Victoria.
These figures have now been corrected to 21,559 Indigenous people having their first dose, and 12,209 fully vaccinated.
As a result of these changes, Victoria now only has 53.7 per cent of First Nations people with at least their first dose, while the ACT has 65.2 per cent and New South Wales has 58.6 per cent.
It is not clear what changes have been made to the statistics for the north west of Victoria, but percentage changes were as high as 17.5 per cent in Melbourne’s outer east.
Previously 75.2 per cent were registered to have received at least their first dose, but now that is down to 57.7 per cent.
Even with the initial rate, the north-west of Victoria had the worst rates of Indigenous COVID-19 vaccination in the state.
The Federal Government are now committing an extra $7 million to the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, to assist with the vaccination of the remaining community members.
There are 30 priority areas that have been identified across the country, although no areas of Victoria have been selected.
Victoria still has the second smallest gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous rates of vaccination, after the ACT.
