POP-UP CLINIC TO KICK IN AT FOOTY CARNIVAL
A POP-UP Covid-19 vaccination clinic will be established at a popular Townsville footy carnival this weekend to tackle Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ vaccine hesitancy and low vaccination rates.
For the past 35 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teams from around Queensland and interstate have converged on Townsville for the Bindal Sharks All Blacks Rugby League Carnival.
More than 7000 people are expected to pass through the gates of the Townsville Sports Reserve between Friday and Sunday to watch more than 20 teams in action.
Recognising that the carnival presented an ideal opportunity for people to get their Covid-19 jabs, Bindal Sharks chief executive Jenny Pryor approached Townsville Hospital Health Service (THHS) with the idea of staging a pop-up vaccination clinic.
She said the clinic would give her mob the opportunity to move beyond the scaremongering around Covid vaccinations by getting their questions answered by medical professionals before rolling up their sleeves for the jab.
“I had both Covid-19 jabs in May and June and will be encouraging our mob to do the same at the carnival if they haven’t already,” Ms Pryor said.
“We all need to get vaccinated to protect our families and community. People can get the jab and then keep watching the deadly footy games.
“People who show proof of receiving their vaccine at the carnival will have the cost of their entry waived as our way of acknowledging them for getting the jab.”
Ms Pryor said she didn’t want her people to be disadvantaged by restrictions imposed on unvaccinated members of the community.
THHS’S Covid-19 vaccination outreach team aim to deliver 500 jabs into arms on the Saturday and Sunday – building on their success vaccinating 183 people during the Rugby Championships double-header.