ABC News (Australia) published this video item, entitled “Low vaccination rates leaving Indigenous communities unprotected against COVID-19 | 7.30” – below is their description.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are supposed to be a top priority group in the national vaccine rollout – yet seven months in, Indigenous vaccination rates in some parts of the country are as low as 6 per cent.
In western New South Wales low vaccination rates have left some of the state’s most vulnerable communities unprotected, as cases continue to spread throughout the region.
This report from Ella Archibald-Binge and Alex McDonald.
ABC News (Australia) YouTube Channel
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In This Story: Torres Strait Islander
Torres Strait Islanders are the Indigenous peoples of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped with them as Indigenous Australians. Today there are many more Torres Strait Islander people living in mainland Australia (nearly 28,000) than on the Islands (about 4,500).
There are five distinct peoples within broader designation of Torres Strait Islander people, based partly on geographical and cultural divisions. There are two main Indigenous language groups, Kalaw Lagaw Ya and Meriam Mir, and Torres Strait Creole is also widely spoken, as a language of trade and commerce. The core of Island culture is Papuo-Austronesian, and the people traditionally a seafaring nation. There is a strong artistic culture, particularly in sculpture, printmaking and mask-making.