A Riverina community identified as having the lowest rate of COVID-19 vaccination in New South Wales is demanding the data be revised
Edward River Council Mayor Norm Brennan has spent the last few months frustrated with vaccination numbers that he says do not reflect the reality on the ground.
"It just doesn't seem right, in regard to the figures I've seen ... the local figures just don't match what they're telling us," he said.
The Commonwealth Health Department uses local government area (LGA) population estimates in its vaccination data, estimating the Edward River LGA population aged 15 and older is 7, 426.
The latest federal health data shows 64.1 per cent of the Edward River LGA's residents aged 15 and older have received a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Neighbouring Murray River LGA has had a more than 95 per cent second dose rate since October 17.
Local authorities question the data
Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) chief executive Jill Ludford says the organisation "knows" the Edward River LGA figures are incorrect.
"The other public data that's available in fact shows that Edward River has good vaccination rates, very similar to the LGAs around them," she said.
"It's to do with how the postcodes are mapped; some of them go across a couple of different LGAs and are mapped to neighbouring LGAs."
The Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) also had questions about the accuracy of the vaccination data for Edward River.
MPHN COVID-19 pandemic lead Alison Koschel said that "it appears there could be some anomalies with shared postcodes suggesting lower rates in Edward River compared to Murray River that may not be reflective of the actual vaccination rates."
"The Commonwealth data however continues to report lower vaccination rates in the Edward River LGA relative to neighbouring LGAs."
Ms Ludford said the MLHD was trying to get the issue fixed.
"I think there are a couple of cases like this across the nation in the national data."
Commonwealth stands by its data
In response to questions from the ABC about the Edward River LGA, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth Department of Health's Operation COVID Shield said "LGA data is constructed using geocoded information and is derived from the best-known Medicare address, as stated by the individual patient.
"Operation COVID Shield has recently checked the vaccine administration data for Edward River LGA.
"A variety of methods were used to test validity, including remapping at a geocode level (latitude and longitude) and using postcode concordance."
Stalemate
Mr Brennan said the data issue would become a concern if COVID-19 restrictions changed to limit the activities of people within areas of lower vaccination rates.
"It could pose a huge problem for the people within the local government area," he said.
Mr Brennan said he was looking for anything that might help the situation.
"If our figures are down because of low rates, well, we'll try and get them up," he said.
Dr Koschel said the MPHN is monitoring the situation.
"[The Commonwealth data] is the data we use to inform our focused support activity to increase vaccination rates across the Murrumbidgee region."
The MLHD sent its mobile vaccination clinic to sites around the Edward River last week, including the rural villages of Conargo, Wanganella and Blighty.
Ms Ludford has a message to Edward River locals.
