Stories of community strength: Reflecting on strong COVID-19 vaccination uptake among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

Prioritising COVID-19 immunisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples plays an important role in promoting social and racial justice. Despite the chronic under-resourcing of community health organisations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia developed strong and successful public health responses to the pandemic. The unique stories of fortitude and resilience during critical stages of a major health crisis stream from strong community engagement and leadership, provision of culturally secure care, novel communication strategies, and efficient outreach. Acknowledging the critical role of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in protecting the lives and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, this study utilised a mixed-methods approach to examine successful stories of mitigating community risk to COVID-19. An environmental scan and content analysis of online media sources and an examination of the temporal trends of COVID-19 vaccination (two, three and four doses completed) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across local government areas in Australia were examined. Stories of community strength illustrated how Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and the local communities in Naarm (Victoria), Bendigo (Victoria), Tharawall (New South Wales) and APY Lands (South Australia) developed strategies to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. Creative solutions adopted by communities included repurposing existing resources, leveraging influence of community leaders, sharing information with community members in a meaningful way and promoting vaccination. High uptake of additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines were observed in communities across the country and in all levels of remoteness. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership was critical for developing local solutions to the population, even under severely restricted and unprecedented circumstances.