By Shelby Brooks
Pakenham Secondary College will host a popup Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccination clinic this weekend, 16 and 17 October.
Appointments are not necessary and vaccines will be available for everyone 12 years and up.
It comes as active Covid-19 cases in Cardinia Shire have reached nearly 300 as the LGA is expected to reach 90 per cent first dose vaccinated this week.
As of 11 October, first dose vaccination rates sat at 89.9 per cent, while second dose rates sat at 56.9 per cent.
Active cases sat at 298 as of 13 October.
Neighbouring LGA Casey has been named an area of concern as the area reached 1,487 active cases as of 13 October.
Vaccination rates are catching up, with 88.9 per cent of Casey residents first dose vaccinated and 54.2 per cent double vaccinated.
Casey is now has the third-highest rate of infections in the state, behind Hume (3,244) and Whittlesea (1,751) in Melbourne’s north.
Figures on Tuesday showed Casey had an increase of 118 cases overnight, the highest increase of any Victorian LGAs.
Despite this, only one exposure site has been listed on the Department of Health’s website this week in Casey, that being KingKids Early Learning Centre and Kindergarten Narre Warren.
It was listed on 11 October, for an exposure date of 6 October 8.15am to 6.15pm.
Before that, the latest exposure sites in Casey date back to 7 October.
It comes as the Department of Health website revealed Menarock Life Aged Care McGregor Gardens Pakenham was listed as a cluster site.
11 cases were linked to the aged care facility, three staff cases, one resident case and seven other cases.
There is currently no active cases linked to that site.
Menarock and the Department of Health did not response to the Gazette’s enquiries.
Last week, HEI Schools Emerald Early Learning Centre and Thornwesten Cabinets Pakenham were also listed as cluster sites.
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 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.
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.
