Orange's vaccination rate is one of the highest in the country with officials heaping praise on the city.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The most recent figures show that as of October 3, 72.6 per cent of the 33,170 residents aged 15 and older have received both doses of a COVID vaccine, while greater than 95 per cent have received at least one.
That last figure puts Orange in elite company, being only one of 15 LGAs nation-wide to have achieved that mark, and one of only 12 in NSW.
Mayor Reg Kidd said he was "pleased and proud" of the community.
"From a vaccination standpoint, without all the extra special that they've put into some places in Sydney, I said we'd get there and we have," he said.
"By the time we get to next weekend (October 16), our second dose will be at 80 per cent, I've got no doubt about that.
"Dubbo is well over the mark and that's fantastic for our region. Mudgee and Lithgow are getting there and I think Bathurst will get there to."
Mayor Kidd added that one reason why he believed vaccination rates had continued to grow was the availability of statistics such as the vaccination rates, being made public.
"The media in Orange have been fantastic, the CWD have been brilliant with printing stories almost daily with vaccination rates and people like to see a bit of progress," he said.
"If you're going to go and do something you want some reward and that reward is that information. The best thing you can have is good community engagement."
Similarly, chief executive of Western NSW Local Health District, Scott McLachlan, praised the high rates in Orange but emphasised that the job isn't done just yet.
"I'm really proud of the (Orange) community. They've heard the message that vaccination is the best way to tackle COVID-19 and they've stepped up," Mr McLachlan said.
"But we've still got a long way to go. While the state-wide goals are 70, then 80 per cent I'd like to see more than 90 per cent of people in our District fully vaccinated.
"I can't stress this enough, we cannot afford to think we've done enough yet. Make sure you come back for your second dose, it's only after both that you get the maximum protection, and keep encouraging people to get vaccinated. We need to work together to continue tackling this threat."
Mayor Kidd also encouraged people to continue getting tested.
"Don't think you'll have to have a bad headache for you to go and get tested," he said.
"Vaccination isn't 100 per cent guarantee that you won't get COVID, but it's a pretty good insurance that you won't suffer the biggest consequence of death."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.centralwesterndaily.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Catch up on our news headlines at Google News