Eleven per cent of the ACT's COVID-19 case during the outbreak have identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

Of the 197 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who contracted the virus, 77 per cent were unvaccinated. But the outbreak has been concentrated in younger people.

Sixty-three are children under 12, who are not eligible for the vaccine, and the median age of the 197 is 19 years. Worryingly, there has been a spike in cases in the Indigenous community in recent weeks.

Deputy chief health officer Vanessa Johnston said in the past week, Indigenous people made up 20 per cent of new cases in the ACT.

Winnunga Nimmityjah chief executive Julie Tongs said the jump in recent weeks had been concerning. She emphasised the importance of vaccination, particularly as the virus is circulating among children.

"It's the children in childcare centres and in schools that are actually carrying the virus, taking it home," she said.

"We do have large families, we have a number of generations living in any one house so that then goes through the whole house.

"And it's so important for anybody over the age of 12 in my community to get vaccinated."

Walk-in vaccination appointments are available at Winnunga Nimmityjah.

There will be a community forum with ACT Health and community partners, including Winnunga Nimmityjah, to discuss how support can be provided to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

There has been a large gap nationally between the vaccination rate in Indigenous communities and the general population, but Health Department officials said last week this had started to close. It is hoped the 80 per cent milestone will be reached in the first week of next year.

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Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the first-dose vaccination rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait was around 85 per cent. However, she said there were challenges in determining the exact rate as the dataset used was different from the one for the general population.

"We do know that the rates are slightly lower but we don't really have great numbers on that and that's why it's really important that we get into every place that we can where we know Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans will feel safe coming forward and getting vaccinated," she said.

The government said it was working with Winnunga Nimmityjah, Gugan Gulwan and Yeddung Mura as well as other partners to respond.

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