Plan for back to normal
GET VAXED OR FACE REGIONAL LOCKDOWNS: PREMIER
TOWNSVILLE and surrounds could face snap lockdowns if vaccination rates do not increase as the state government prepares to reopen the border.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced border restrictions will ease as early as November 19, with fully vaccinated able to cross the border unrestricted come December 17 – just in time for Christmas.
But the announcement comes with a caveat – regional Queensland must pick up its vaccination game.
Ms Palaszczuk said on Monday that if vaccination rates did not increase, an outbreak in the regions could spark a lockdown.
While much of the southeast corner is about to crack 70 per cent fully vaccinated, in Townsville just under 70 per cent of the eligible population have received their first dose.
Charters Towers is the second-worst in the state with just 40.1 per cent fully vaccinated and 56.1 per cent with one dose.
However, Ms Palaszczuk said there was room to move milestones forward if Queenslanders were quick to ramp up vaccinations.
“It’s simple,” she said. “The more of us who are vaccinated, the sooner we are safely reunited with friends and family interstate and overseas.”
Despite a major push over the past few months to get regional Queensland vaccinated, there is still a significant group of people holding out.
Townsville GP Michael Clements said
that about a month ago his practice’s vaccination clinic was dealing with hundreds of people. But a clinic on Sunday gave out only 70 jabs.
While he said there was a large group of people who were choosing not to get vaccinated, there was a vulnerable group that needed help.
Dr Clements said many people living at home with a disability, in indigenous or remote communities, homeless people or refugees needed help to get vaccinated.
“It is not fair to tell them they’ve had their chance,” he said.
Dr Clements’ practice has been working with the Townsville Multicultural Support Group to help get that part of the community vaccinated.
But he said it took time to work through the information with people.
Dr Clements said other people were actively avoiding getting vaccinated.
“Some of those people will never get vaccinated,” he said. “We suspect a large number of those don’t perceive a threat and therefore have decided to hold off.”
Dr Clements said that when the borders opened that would change, with every Australian exposed to Covid-19 at the end of next year.
“If we go off the current figures 20 per cent of the adult population … are likely to catch Covid at some point in the next year,” he said. “And 1 or 2 per cent (of that 20 per cent) will die, maybe 5 per cent will end up in hospital.”
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said that while statewide jab rates were encouraging, “if you dig a little deeper into the statistics you see the rates in regional and remote areas are not where they should be. They should be much higher.
“This is of tremendous concern, especially as we approach the wet season.”