Doctor says community ‘doing right thing’

A PROMINENT doctor in Queensland’s second-most vaccinated region says it is a “race” to get jabs in everyone’s arms given the high likelihood of a major Covid outbreak.

Dr Stewart Jackson of Ingham-based Hinchinbrook Health Care (pictured) said he was not surprised Hinchinbrook Shire was second only to Goondiwindi where more than 70 per cent of the population had been given one jab and almost 50 per cent had received both doses.

Some 58.5 per cent of the Hinchinbrook’s population of 9092 people aged over 15 are partially protected with 40.4 per cent having two shots.

Dr Jackson, a recipient of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ prestigious Brian Williams Award, said a key factor in the shire leading the vaccination charge was its community-orientated population committed to “doing the right thing”.

“That’s the biggest thing is that our local population have come out in their thousands for vaccinations, including the elderly,” he said.

“Even with all the misinformation … they are guided by their doctors who give them (health) advice, not by social media.”

Hinchinbrook has one of the oldest populations in Queensland, a demographic that is particularly vulnerable to Covid.

Dr Jackson said his medical practice of 10 doctors had decided to “own” responsibility for the shire’s vaccine roll-out.

“We decided that it is our thing that we need to do as well as we can and we’ve been fully committed,” he said.

“Our clinic has been packed every day for months vaccinating local people; our front office is packed with people, our reception staff have been flat out for six months since we started in March.”

Dr Jackson said systems had been streamlined and staff were “pumping out” vaccinations.

He said Hinchinbrook was well ahead of the Burdekin and Charters Towers, which had fully vaccinated rates of 24.6 and 22 per cent respectively.

In Townsville, with a population of 156,137 over 15s, 31.5 per cent of the population had received both doses.

Dr Jackson, an avid sportsperson whose son is an elite

A u s t r a - l i a n swimmer, s a i d Hinchinbrook did not want to be seen as “l a g - gards”. “Othe r post c o d e s need to get up there and start competing, we should all be competing for the gold medal … it’s a race.”

Dr Jackson said it was vital everyone was vaccinated.

“There are only two possibilities: either you are vaccinated or you will get the virus.”

He said it was only a matter of time before there was a major outbreak in Queensland.

“It will come into the state one way or another, it will come,” he said.

“It’s come obviously into New South Wales, it’s now in New Zealand, it will come to Queensland and we need to be prepared.

“If you are not vaccinated you will get the virus and if you get the virus you have to take your chances against the virus and there is a chance it could hurt you badly or you may die from it.”