HEROES ROLL UP
VAX CENTRE TARGET
CAIRNS will cross the 100,000-jab threshold this weekend as a new mass vaccination hub pushes the region along the path towards 80 per cent Covid coverage.
About a hundred people were walking through the Cairns Convention Centre doors every hour on Friday, with authorities hoping a post-work influx would nail the 1500-a-day target.
The Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service area was sitting on the 99,000-odd mark by day’s end – a tantalising milestone just out of reach.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath was confident the city would come out in force over the weekend, even if the vax hub’s opening burst coincided with the biggest and booziest party of the year.
“If you’re going to the Amateurs, I’ve got a great idea for you,” she said.
“Make sure on your way there, not on your way back if you’ve had a drink or two – but on your way there, pop in and get vaccinated.
“If you’re in town and we’re vaccinating, don’t miss this opportunity.
“We did the same thing in Brisbane, we set up at the Doomben Racecourse and we got people coming in as they were heading into the races.”
Until Monday, Cairns will be the only place in Queensland where children aged under 16 can get the vaccine.
CHHHS executive director of medical services Don Mackie said parents were rolling up with children before school, and larger group bookings were also boosting numbers.
“We opened at 7am and we were seeing parents bringing schoolchildren in,” he said.
“The vaccination age is from 12 to 59.
“We’re seeing employers who are sending their staff singly or we had a group of people who came down from the Tablelands.
“This is a great opportunity to be able to vaccinate large numbers of people.”
Only one lone anti-vax protester attended the hub on Friday, but soon vanished after speaking with police.
Otherwise it was a steady footslog to the 80 per cent vaccination mark – and there was still a way to go.
The Cairns local government area is sitting at about 56 per cent of people with at least one vaccine dose, and 38.8 per cent fully vaccinated.
However, places like Yarrabah need a massive increase in uptake if the Far North’s overall target is to be met.
Ms D’Ath said she was acutely aware of Yarrabah’s low rate of vaccination, with only 26.1 per cent of people with at least the first dose.
She said the state’s “COVan” Covid outreach van had covered 7250km over the
past 17 weeks and administered 6000 vaccinations across the Far North.
“We have outreach happening in all of these communities – that’s what the COVan is all about,” she said.
“We’ve seen fantastic results up in the Torres Strait and the Cape, and I want to see those numbers everywhere.
We know that our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are particularly vulnerable, but we have a lot of vulnerable communities across Queensland.
“We’re seeing pockets of low take-up in rural and remote areas, but also in South East Queensland.
“What we’re doing is identifying those communities and working with our local hospital and health services to come up with specific strategies to go into those communities.”
Cairns MP Michael Healy said the vaccination hub would be maintained longer in Cairns if demand was high.
“The important thing is if we need to keep this going for a little bit longer, we will do that,” he said.
“This morning I met with a number of marine tourism operators and other tourism operators.
“They are feeling the pain, as we are across the state.
“To ensure that we can get back to as close to normal as possible, ensuring you get your vaccination shot is absolutely vital.”
The hub will be open from 7am-7pm on Saturday and 8am-4pm on Sunday.
Walk-ins are welcome but online bookings are preferred at the Queensland Health website.