ROAD TO VACCINATION STILL HAS A LONG WAY TO GO

THE police closure of a Darwin business for breaching Covid restrictions is a dramatic – and emphatic – uptick in the government’s drive to stop the spread of the killer virus.

It signals the relatively benign approach to prosecuting breaches adopted by the police since March last year has ended and that the drive for mass Territory vaccinations is reaching the pointy end.

It’s terrible for the business affected – known to many in Darwin’s northern suburbs as part of their neighbourhood and with prominent signage and street frontage – but also a very clear warning shot to other businesses that breaches of CHO orders around Covid will no longer be tolerated.

Arguments around vaccination mandates and masking are flying about in both directions and, while the discussion is serious and meaningful, it is also falling on deaf ears given the focus of governments across Australia to use vaccinations as the main weapon to overcome the spread and potency of the virus.

While there are shades of intensity given what jurisdiction you live or work in, the Chief Minister has not wavered in his determination to vaccinate as many Territorians as possible. Arguments against vaccination are, thankfully, not having widespread cut through. There is bipartisan political support across the Territory for mandatory vaccinations and an overwhelming number of Territorians have voluntarily had the jab.

Almost 85 per cent of Territorians 16 and over have been double vaccinated (according to federal statistics)– as of Wednesday the lowest double vax rate in the country – so there’s still more to be done to reach the 95 per cent level that experts believe could help seriously quell the spread of the virus.

As Professor Robert Booy says in a special 12-page vaccine liftout in today’s Sunday Territorian, time is of the essence. A Covid-19 vaccine booster not only reduces severe Omicron disease by 85-95 per cent, it can also substantially prevent milder infections and transmissions.

Meanwhile, mum Vanessa Croll tells of watching her three-year-old struggle to breathe as his tiny body fought against a deadly virus. As vaccines become available for children tomorrow, book them in so it’s effective before they head back to school. You could be saving their life.

A nod to anti-mandate protesters who stayed home at the weekend, protecting themselves and their community. Keep it up.