Bidyadanga, Western Australia’s largest remote Aboriginal community, grounded by COVID-19
Western Australia’s largest remote Aboriginal community is in lockdown after an outbreak of positive COVID-19 cases.
Key points:
- Authorities locked down Bidyadanga, south of Broome, after several positive COVID cases
- With 650 inhabitants, the town is the largest Aboriginal community in Western Australia
- This is the first confirmed spread of the virus in the Kimberleys since the early stages of the pandemic
Nineteen people have tested positive in Bidyadanga, 180 km south of Broome, since Wednesday evening.
None are reporting serious symptoms and all are in isolation.
Residents were notified of the positive cases around 6 p.m. Wednesday, with the lockdown being declared shortly after.
Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS) medical director Lorraine Anderson said 17 of the 19 cases were from the same household.
“The community has a very high vaccination rate, which is almost certainly the reason why we don’t see sick people,” Dr Anderson said.
“We’re getting positive results, but no sick people. A few people have a runny nose and a cough.”
Residents have spent the day cooped up indoors, while health workers go door to door to check that residents have enough food and medical supplies while working to test the 950 residents of the community.
“We have plenty of supplies for testing, we have enough vaccines for anyone who wants to get vaccinated,” Dr Anderson said.
Booster vaccination rate for: First
The current Bidyadanga double-dose vaccination rate is 90%, but just under 10% have received a booster shot.
Premier Mark McGowan revealed that the third dose vaccination rate for the community was “pretty low” at around 8.8%. The third dose rate in the rest of the state is now over 60%.
“It is worrying, I would encourage indigenous communities and indigenous people to get vaccinated,” Mr McGowan said.
“We have had multiple efforts across the state to get Indigenous people vaccinated, I just encourage people to take the opportunity.”
The Kimberley Wide double dose rate currently sits at 78%, well below the statewide rate of 95%.
The cases represent the first confirmed public spread of the virus in the Kimberley since the early stages of the outbreak in 2020.
They are also the first confirmed cases of the virus to be detected in one of the region’s remote communities, which have been under state and federal government restrictions since the start of the pandemic.
Basketball tournaments are a concern
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the decision to lock down the community was made by Bidyadanga leaders and had the full support of the government.
She told ABC Perth the government expects the number of cases to rise in the coming days.
“Any contracts close to the original cases have been tested and are in isolation,” she told ABC Perth.
“Everyone is well.”
Two basketball events have also raised concerns about possible community spread.
The Bidyadanga community held its own basketball event earlier this week, while the Broome Basketball Association held a tournament for the wider region.
Bidyadanga players attended both events, triggering an alert from health authorities on Wednesday evening.
Bidyadanga players who attended both events have been tested and self-isolating.
Dr Anderson said there was great concern that COVID-positive people may have been circulating in the community.
“There is a lot of anxiety in the Kimberley and a lot of anxiety all over the Kimberley,” she said.
Concerns about food, communication
Billy Jo Shoveller, a resident of Bidyadanga, is self-isolating at his home with three other families – including eight adults, 10 children and a newborn.
“I feel scared and confused. We’ve never seen this before,” he said.
“It will definitely go around the house. Not just ours (but) a lot of houses in Bidyadanga.”
He said many households did not have much food on hand and would need to access the community store to restock.
Frankie Shoveller was on duty at the Community Power Station this morning and said it was noticeably quieter in the community.
“Hardly anyone is moving,” he said.
“It’s something new for people, we’ve never had one of these lockdowns before.
“People are going to be hungry.”
Community leader Greg Billycan said he had enough food for breakfast today.
“We just want to know how long this lockdown lasts,” he said.
“It’s quiet – but you still hear people shouting, ‘Open the fuck up shop’ and ‘when are we going out?’
“It worries us a lot, we need to know how many people have been infected and how it has been introduced into the community.”
Testing and tracing begins
Bidyadanga is the second remote community to be affected by the current outbreak in WA, with authorities in Goldfields currently working to contain the spread of the virus in Jameson (Mantamaru) in Ngaanyatjarra land.
The outbreak will also be a test of health authorities’ preparedness, with an outbreak in a remote community, a scenario long feared by officials due to Kimberley’s vulnerable indigenous population.
Testing and research efforts, which will be led by Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS), began last night and will continue in earnest today.
“This morning, KAMS deployed a rapid response team from Broome to support clinic staff and help test the wider community,” KAMS said in a statement today.
The team will also aim to increase vaccination rates in the community.
Residents of the community should remain isolated, while anyone who has been to Bidyadanga in the past week should self-isolate and monitor their symptoms.
Anyone showing symptoms is urged to contact Bidyadanga Community Clinic on (08) 9192 4952 to arrange testing.
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