Manjimup Shire smashes 90 per cent vax rate against COVID

The Manjimup Shire has smashed the 90 per cent double-vaccination rate in the fight against COVID-19, hitting the milestone last week. As of January 24, the Manjimup area had registered a 93.5 per cent double-vaccination rate for people over the age of 15. Manjimup Shire president Paul Omodei said it was a testament to how the community wanted to do everything it could to defend themselves and their families against the virus. Cr Omodei said from the start of the Roll Up for WA vaccination program, various groups including the Shire, hospitals and schools had worked hard to get as many people vaccinated as possible. “We had good co-operation from all of our doctors and schools that went out of their way to get as many kids as possible vaccinated as well,” he said. Cr Omodei said the Shire had worked very hard from the start of the pandemic to get the district ready in case there was ever a serious amount of infections in the region. “I think if you go right back to the beginning of when COVID first broke out and we got the $400,000 grants through Lotterywest we were trying to keep people safe then and keep them in the community.” Since the beginning of the vaccination program the Manjimup Town Hall has been hosting pop-up clinics which have administered hundreds of vaccines. Cr Omodei said although there was some backlash during the vaccination rollout when it was discovered Shire employees would be paid $500 in a one-off payment, residents still continued to do their part in the fight against COVID.