By Shelby Brooks
The smaller towns on the edge of Cardinia Shire, including Lang Lang, Garfield and Bunyip, are leading the way in Covid vaccination rates.
As of Thursday 7 October, the 3984 postcode which includes Lang Lang, Caldermeade, Monomeith, The Gurdies and Lang Lang East, had reached 90-95 per cent of eligible residents with their first dose and 55-60 per cent double dosed.
They reached the 70 per cent target first dose target on 12 September, weeks ahead of Pakenham.
It comes as Cardinia records 245 active cases within the shire, as of 7 October.
167 of those cases are located within the postcode of Pakenham (3810), which has not achieved 50 per cent double doses yet.
For the 45,912 eligible people in the postcode 3810, which includes Pakenham, Pakenham Upper, Pakenham South, Rythdale and Kooweerup North, 75-80 per cent of them have received their first dose and 40-45 per cent their second.
They reached the 70 per cent single dose target on 28 September.
Other postcodes within the shire of Cardinia with high vaccination rates are 3814 and 3815, which covers Garfield, Cora Lynn, Garfield North, Vervale, Tonimbuk, Iona, Bunyip and Bunyip North.
They have reached 85-90 per cent first dose vaccinated and 50-55 per cent double dose and achieved the 70 per cent first dose target on 16 September.
Upper Beaconsfield and Dewhurst at 3808 have also reached 85-90 per cent first dose vaccinated and 55-60 per cent double doze, reaching the 70 per cent first dose target 17 September.
The postcode lagging behind the most in the shire is 3981- Kooweerup, Yannathan, Catani, Heath Hill and Bayles- with 75-80 per cent of the eligible population first dose vaccinated and only 35-40 per cent double vaccinated.
They reached the 70 per cent single dose target on 29 September.
Data for Officer and Officer South was not listed due to significant population change since the 2016 census.
