Western Australia (WA) is trailing behind the rest of Australia in its uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine despite public information campaigns, improved vaccination accessibility, and industry mandates. Three in ten West Australians aged 16 and over have not had a single dose of the available COVID-19 vaccines, and almost half of West Australians have yet to receive their second jab. WA physician specialising in infection management, Dr. Clay Golledge, said West Australia had a “terrible” vaccine uptake, reported The Australian. In particular, Golledge criticised WA’s residents for underutilising the 100-plus state-run vaccination clinics available across WA. “We have got 10,000 vacant vaccine appointments this week, huge empty queues at the major centres,” Golledge told Sky News. Following WA Premier Mark McGowan’s decision to open up vaccinations for 16 to 29 year-olds, the state recorded a staggering 91,000 bookings in the first week. However, these figures did not persist as the enthusiasm …