Questions have been raised over data used to track the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations after the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) reported that 100 per cent of residents over 16 had received their first jab.
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In its weekly COVID report on Monday, the health district said that 100 per cent of people aged 16 and over across the region had received their first dose of a COVID vaccine.
On Wednesday, MLHD chief executive Jill Ludford said it was instead "safer to say over 95 per cent of people".
Statistician's report COVID vaccination rates by extracting data from the Australian Immunisation Register and comparing it to the population within the MLHD boundaries, using both ABS census data and projections from the department of planning.
"At any one day those population projections are not going to be exactly equal to the number of people on the ground and of course we look forward to the new ABS census data coming out in June 2022," Ms Ludford said.
Shadow Minister for Health Ryan Park spoke out against the MLHD's initial reporting, saying it "gives people a false sense of security and we don't need that during a pandemic".
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He said that in a region such as the Murrumbidgee people move in and out quite a bit, and the community needs to understand that not everyone is protected from COVID by vaccination.
"There are limitations with data and we all know that ... [but] you do have to be wary reporting figures like that," Mr Park said.
He welcomed clarification from the MLHD on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, Ms Ludford said it is "absolutely critical" that those eligible for their booster come forward as the peak of the Omicron outbreak approaches.
"Hands down there is evidence to show that people who have had a third dose or a booster will have a less severe Omicron disease should they contract the virus," she said.
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