Lockdowns loom if we don’t move
Officials warn on low vaccinations
PARTS of North Queensland could go into lockdown if the vaccination rates don’t increase before December 17.
Chief health officer Jeannette Young is concerned that if North Queensland can’t meet the 80 per cent target in time for the border to reopen, it could be subjected to further lockdowns to protect the community.
Dr Young, along with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk visited the Townsville Community Vaccination Clinic on Wednesday, in a bid to encourage more people to get jabbed.
While she “desperately hopes” it won’t come to further lockdowns, it could be the key to getting more people vaccinated.
“If you’ve got a community with very low vaccination rates, maybe one of the only strategies while people get vaccinated is to recommend to the Premier that there needs to be a lockdown in that community,” Dr Young said.
“That is what had to happen in New South Wales and Victoria, and as a result, people came out in droves to get vaccinated so they could get out of lockdown.
“It’s been very, very successful, but I think we’re smarter than that in Queensland.
“We don’t need that to happen, we can get vaccinated so we don’t need the lockdowns.”
Dr Young said if people were not fully vaccinated, there would be a big risk when the borders open.
She said it took a minimum of five weeks to be fully protected, with two additional weeks required after the second dose for it to be most effective.
“You’ve got a fantastic health service here in North
Queensland, particularly here in Townsville, but even they will struggle if you remain at the rates you are at the moment,” Dr Young said.
“We’ve got to aim for every single 12 year old and older because some of them are going to be affected and most will pass it on and infect other people.”
Ms Palaszczuk and other Cabinet ministers are on tour around the state at the moment, trying to get the last few local government areas over the line ahead of reopening.
North Queensland is well behind target with local government areas like Charters Towers having just 40.1 per cent of people fully vaccinated and 56.1 per cent with one dose. However, in Hinchinbrook 79 per cent of the community has done dose and 67.2 per cent has two.
There have been questions raised about the availability of the vaccine in Charters Towers, with no permanent staterun clinic set up.
“That is a good question but there are GPS and pharmacies that are available now for people to go and get their vaccines,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“They should be talking to their local GPS, talking to their local pharmacists to get their vaccine.”
Dr Young will leave her role as chief health officer at the end of the month.
She will be replaced by Dr Krispin Hajkowicz.
If you’ve got a community with very low vaccination rates, maybe one of the only strategies while people get vaccinated is to recommend to the Premier that there needs to be a lockdown in that community Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young (pictured above)