TAKE A VACCINATION VACATION THIS WEEK

The school holidays are here and as usual there’s plenty do around town. And now that the federal government has allowed children aged 12 and over to get vaccinated for Covid-19, there’s another thing to do.

Get the kids vaccinated to help protect the community.

And it couldn’t be easier. The Townsville Community Vaccination Centre is open this weekend and encouraging people to walk in for vaccinations, no appointments needed.

The message from authorities is, while the kids are there, mums and dads should take the opportunity to get the jab too.

Authorities are worried Townsville is lagging behind the rest of the state and the nation.

As of Friday, just 36 per cent of Townsville people were fully vaccinated and only 51 per cent of people had their first shot.

Townsville Hospital and Health Service’s Jason Yates said if the community was serious about getting back to normal life, they needed to get vaccinated – and that included children.

The pediatrician is urging families to make a day of it.

“Make it a family day, if children see their parents get vaccinated, they’re more likely to have it done as well,” he said.

“If parents have time off work during the holidays and are spending it with their kids, use that time to get the vaccination.

“Do whatever works for individual family situations. We don’t want to force kids but to help them make the right decision.”

Dr Yates said children were less likely to be sick from Covid-19, but they had the ability to spread the virus to close family members, including elderly grandparents who could become very ill.

“I’d like to allay parents’ fears when it comes to the vaccine: it is safe, their children will be OK.

He said it was important for people to get their vaccination information from reliable sources, not Facebook.

“Social media can be a dangerous place,” he said.

It’s a good, calm message and one the community needs to adopt.

Already the Townsville City Council is concerned our vaccination rate could pose issues with a looming wet season. They need as many people vaccinated to reduce the risk of spread if the region is hit by a major weather event.