New limits

Early rollout for health staff

TASMANIANS returning from the greater Brisbane area must quarantine back in the state. The discovery of the UK strain of COVID-19 in a quarantine hotel worker in Brisbane triggered a three-day lockdown.

TASMANIANS will start to be vaccinated against the coronavirus from the end of next month, with health workers and the elderly among the first to get the jab.

Quarantine and border workers, groups of critical healthcare workers, aged care and disability care staff, and residential aged care and disability residents will be given highest priority.

They are expected to receive the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer at hubs at the state’s three major hospitals in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie from late February.

Health Department secretary Kathrine MorganWicks said subsequent phases would be rolled out over coming months.

State-run vaccination sites, respiratory clinics and other agreed general practitioner sites would be used in the later stages of the vaccination program.

Ms Morgan-Wicks said the Tasmanian Vaccination Emergency Operations Centre would be activated from Monday to prepare for the rollout.

This group includes clinical and logistics experts including those who have been involved in previous vaccination programs, including swine flu and meningococcal.

The vaccine is not mandatory, but authorities said a campaign would be staged to ensure as many Tasmanians as possible got the jab.

“We will strongly be encouraging Tasmanians to get vaccinated and we will be doing our utmost to vaccinate them as quickly as we can,’’ Ms Morgan-Wicks said.

Premier Peter Gutwein said it was important that the most vulnerable people were vaccinated first.

“It will be a significant operation, the rollout of this vaccine,’’ he said. “A comprehensive public communication program will be actioned to ensure that Tasmanians understand and know when they can get the vaccine and where they can get the vaccine.”

It comes as travellers who arrived in Tasmania from greater Brisbane since January 2 were put on alert as that area — including the council areas of Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Ipswich and Logan — was locked down for three days.

Travellers arriving in Tasmania from Friday who had been in the area were forced into quarantine for up to 14 days, including at government quarantine hotels if they could not do so at a suitable premises.

Other travellers already in Tasmania were urged to check a list of high-risk locations in the region and self-isolate if they had been at any of the places.

Public Health director Mark Veitch said about 5000 people had travelled to Tasmania from Queensland since that date and an estimated 2000 from greater Brisbane, with health authorities contacting them by text message.

Authorities acted swiftly after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive to the mutant British strain of the virus which is said to be more infectious.

Mr Gutwein said the British variant of the virus had now been detected in 33 countries.

He said while only one case of the mutant strain had been detected in Queensland, it was enough to warrant the action.

“It’s concerning enough that the government of Queensland have shut down greater Brisbane. We need to get on top of this,’’ the Premier said.

Mr Gutwein said he would have done the same thing “in a heartbeat” if the mutant strain was detected in Tasmania.

WE WILL STRONGLY BE ENCOURAGING TASMANIANS TO GET VACCINATED AND WE WILL BE DOING OUR UTMOST TO VACCINATE THEM AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN

HEALTH DEPARTMENT SECRETARY KATHRINE MORGAN-WICKS, ABOVE