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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lovetravellingoz" data-source="post: 2295138" data-attributes="member: 5647">Yes but not just essential workers, but also all living in those LGA's.  Apart from having a high number of people who work in jobs that cannot be done at home, they also have a younger population who gained access to be vaccinated later due to that.The Commonwealth Channel is only  from this week on Day 67 of the outbreak (and mainly from tomorrow with Moderna arriving at any scale) starting to get enough GP practices and Pharmacists vaccinationing in the key LGA's. The Commonwealth did start about a week ago re-directing more doses to the few sites they had in these LGA's, but they has only opened up very few sites, it was constrained in what they could vaccinate.   Even now it will take another fortnight for them to get enough up and vaccinating.  As it is having not been open when they really needed to have been many of these newly approved facilities will probably  give very few AZ doses. Whereas if they had of been up and running a month or so back they probably would have.Even though it is the Commonwealth Channel the State Government has today announced cash grants to GP's and Pharmacists in the key LGA's  to enable them to maximise their vaccination rates (The grants can be used to pay staff, or rental for more space (or a separate space) such as an empty shop nearby).Pro-rata the Commonwealth Channel had less GPs and Pharmacists up and running in Victoria than other jurisdictions.  Indeed during this outbreak in August the Commonwealth actually paused the approval of more facilities in this Channel in Victoria. The facilities that they had were mainly located in the regions and  suburbs which typically experience less cases.  So in general country regions had the highest vaccination rate, then more affluent suburbs in Melbourne and then suburbs in the north and west the lowest.  This coincided where the Commonwealth  had approved the most facilities in per head of population.So given the demographics and what facilities were open vaccination rates were low.For a while now the state channel has been directing 50% of doses to these LGA's both through large hubs but also by opening up additional state hubs (ie the drive through being one such site)  pop-ups at schools, council buildings and religious locations. This has led over the last month those LGA's having the largest rise in % vaccinated.  But this is from a low base.With the Commonwealth Channel now finally vaccinating at a more appropriate level in these LGA's the recent rapid vaccination rate  in these LGA's should now accelerate further.   As Moderna will also be disproportionately go to these key LGA's they will receive first and second doses at 4 weeks.  This is quicker than the current second dose rate at state hubs of 6 weeks for Pfizer/AZ.   GPs are doing Pfizer at 3 to 6 weeks, and AZ at 6+).  So  the second dose rate for the key LGA's  will probably  catch up to the rest of Melbourne and the State.   Indeed the first and second dose rate may well in just over a month exceed the rest of Melbourne.</blockquote>

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