Health funding

THE latest mantra from the Premier’s publicity team is, “We cannot protect you if you won’t protect yourselves”.

Clearly the Premier is staring down the face of the pandemic and realising that just like New Zealand the “elimination” position is not going to make the many uncertainties ahead just go away.

The current vaccination rates in Toowoomba indicate that this Premier is setting us up for the good old pull of the rug from under our feet trick. Her promise in September 2020 of $130 million in extra funding for Darling Downs Health Services to ramp up their Covid-19 preparations has clearly not been delivered. Otherwise a detailed document would have been released by now.

The Premier intends to allow the Delta variant to enter when she is happy the SE corner is protected by the vaccine. Once they hit the required percentage then residents of regional areas better be vaccinated.

The sooner we realise the extra health funding was always a furphy the sooner people should have the vaccine. It is time for the council and civic leaders to advocate record vaccine uptake. Large-scale Covid illness means no workers to build any quarantine centre.

JOHN FRIEND, Toowoomba