Covid-19: Gold Coast’s supply of Pfizer vaccine remains a challenge, with GPs struggling to get extra doses to meet demand
Gold Coasters are rolling up their sleeves in record numbers for the Covid-19 jab, but a lack of Pfizer supply is causing GPs angst. DETAILS >>>
Gold Coast
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PFIZER vaccine supply remains a problem on the Gold Coast, with one GP chasing double the weekly amount she gets to meet growing demand from the community.
Upper Coomera Respiratory Clinic and Haan Health co-owner Dr Sonu Haikerwal said last week she administered 950 doses of Pfizer and 550 of AstraZeneca.
“But I could do with at least twice the amount of Pfizer, so I’ve been pestering the Commonwealth for up to 1600 doses a week,” she said.
“All of my 21 phone lines are jammed with people wondering when we will get a supply of Pfizer.”
Dr Haikerwal confirmed there were dozens of Gold Coasters under 60 who were decided to have the AstraZeneca vaccination after proper consultations with their GPs.
“I think this outbreak has finally prompted those people who were waiting to just go out and get the vaccine, it’s (Covid-19) now because very real for most people,” she said.
“So it’s great news residents are finally realising the only way out of lockdowns is for the majority of the community to be vaccinated.”
Robina GP Roger Halliwell confirmed that Pfizer vaccine supply “remains a challenge” and that GP clinics giving out the vaccine were not sure when more would become available.
He said they were routinely sent less vials than ordered.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk asked residents to roll-up their sleeves saying it was “absolutely critical”.
“So if you’re sitting out there at home thinking should I get vaccine or not can I tell you the answer is yes yes yes,” she said.
“The more people that we can get vaccinated the better we will be with the way in which our community is running at the moment.”
In the 24 hours to 10am on August 10, 11,000 vaccinations has been administered with Ms Palaszczuk urging everyone aged 16-59 to register for a vaccine.
She said 50,000 people signed up after it was announced a Pfizer-only mass vaccination clinic would open at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on August 11.
Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young told a reporter they would have to ask the federal government when people aged 16, 20 or 30 would be offered Pfizer.
The federal government has brought forward its September supply to August but that would mean less doses in September.
“It depends on when we get those extra doses,” she said.
Currently Queensland Health is getting 100,000 doses a week of Pfizer, with a similar amount going to the state’s GPs.
To register for a vaccination visit www.vaccinebookings.health.qld.gov.au/registerforvaccination/
QLD RECORDS 10 NEW CASES, LOCKDOWN DECISION LOOMS
August 5
QUEENSLAND has recorded 10 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases linked to the state’s largest cluster since the pandemic began in 2020, with Deputy Premier Steven Miles saying the news was “very very encouraging”
Mr Miles said on Friday morning that all of the new cases were related to the Indooroopilly Delta cluster, which was now at a total of 89 cases.
He said the “encouraging news” was that only two of the cases were out in the community when they were infectious and this was only for one day and it was during lockdown.
But Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said a decision on lifting restrictions would not be made before Sunday.
“I will want to see the numbers Sunday morning, it’s just too quick, we’ve only had the lockdown for eight days, I’ll need every single one of those days to be able to work through when and if we should lift that lockdown on Sunday afternoon,” she said.
WHERE TO GET A COVID TEST ON THE GOLD COAST
Police have also confirmed the woman who fled hotel Quarantine on the Gold Coast earlier this week is still at large and active in the community. She had tested negative for Covid-19 while in hotel quarantine.
The new local cases are linked to Ironside State School, Indooroopilly State High School and Brisbane Boys Grammar.
A total of 48,028 people were tested in the past 24 hours and there are 8594 people in home quarantine.
Mr Miles said it was too early to say whether the lockdown would be lifted at 4pm on Sunday but that the results so far were “very very promising”.
He added that decision makers needed to see that numbers remained low, all new cases were linked to the existing cluster, no positive cases infectious in the community and a high level of testing.
A reporter asked whether Mayor Tom Tate’s accusation — that Gold Coast residents were being “punished” with a lockdown because the government was worried Brisbane “residents may sneak down to the Coast” — was true.
Mr Miles said: “I spoke to Mayor Tate yesterday afternoon what we’ve emphasised is that the Gold Coast has been included in this lockdown both because of the originating cases of this outbreak was treated at Gold Coast University Hospital and because there were exposure sites on the Gold Coast”.
“I understand the concern that the mayor has raised about it’s impact on businesses on the Gold Coast, but it’s critically important that we take the health advice and we apply these restrictions on the geographical areas where they are concerns, and at this stage, that includes the Gold Coast.”
When pushed further, Mr Miles said the Gold Coast is part of an area that runs from the border to the Sunshine Coast.
“It’s very difficult to put borders in place between the southern LGA’s that are part of Brisbane, largely considered part of Brisbane, and the Gold Coast,” he said.
“There’s lots and lots of roads between that would be very challenging to try and enforce movement restrictions there.
“So clearly that’s one of the considerations is what kind of sensible area can you put restrictions around, but that doesn’t mean it will always be the case.
“There’s certainly been other lockdowns where we’ve been able to restrict the LGA further, that depends on the risks of the particular outbreak and that’s what we’ve monitored here.”
Mr Miles asked residents to continue wearing masks, saying cases had spread in areas where people weren’t wearing them, at schools and in homes.
“But generally Queensland you’re doing an amazing job,” he said.
“I’ve never been more proud to be a Queenslander.
“All the indications are it’s working.”
Victoria has now also been classified as a hotspot following its rise in cases and subsequent lockdown, with anyone travelling from the area into Queensland from 1am Saturday having to go into hotel quarantine.
Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said the new cases were five children and five adults and only two were infectious in the community, and that was during lockdown.
“We need to keep it up for the next few days, we’re not there yet,” she said.
“So please come forward and get tested with any symptoms at all, we just have to find that new cases, if we’ve got any new cluster happening we need to know about it as soon as we possibly can.”
She said restrictions would still be in place once lockdown was lifted but what they were depended on “how things track over the next few days”.
Dr Young said she wanted to remind residents how important masks were to help stop the spread of the Delta variant.
“Please keep wearing masks.”
“Hopefully it won’t be through to Christmas, but it could be,” she said.
She said the Education Department had managed to source masks that could fit smaller children and that officials were considering a pilot program to roll out masks in primary schools among older year levels.
Dr Young said it was unlikely under 12s would be asked to wear masks.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the results were “great news for Queensland” and she thanked everyone for getting tested and vaccinated.
“But we need to ensure we continue to follow the rules,” she said.
“And of course, go and get vaccinated.”
Ms D’Ath said she would be getting her final AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday and would pleased she would soon be fully vaccinated.
“It just gives me an extra level of comfort in relation to this virus,” she said.
She said today community pharmacies across the south east, 113 of them, will come online to start offering the AstraZeneca vaccinations. They will await Pfizer vaccines from the federal government.
Ms D’Ath reminded people not to wait longer than 12 weeks between their first and second AstraZeneca dose, and should instead have their second dose after eight weeks.
She said almost 20 per cent of the Queensland population who are eligible were now vaccinated.
Dr Young could not say when under 40s would have wide access to Pfizer because supply was a Commonwealth issue.
Queensland received the second highest number of vaccinations in Australia yesterday.
Almost 20 per cent of Queenslanders have now received both their vaccinations, while 39.1 per cent have received their first vaccination.
Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said police increased its operational presence on Thursday and that it would continue to do so until the lockdown finishes, “no matter when that is”.
“We will stay very viligent to make sure people are doing the right thing,” he said.
Police intercepted 3445 vehicles and handed out 20 penalty infringement notices as a result. They also attended 120 calls for service. He said all 216 businesses visited by police were compliant.
“Yesterday we handed out the most masks, 302, so that means those 302 were not only not wearing masks, they weren’t carrying them and we did issues 10 penalty infringement notices.
“Just carry a mask and wear when you should and we’ll all be a lot safer.”
HEALTH EXPERT: COAST ‘NOT SAFE FROM VIRUS’
by Emily Toxward
A HEALTH expert has warned the Gold Coast is “not safe from the virus” and urged everyone with symptoms to get tested.
Gold Coast Health Public Health Unit physician Dr Andre Wattiaux confirmed there were no confirmed cases of Covid-19 on the Gold Coast.
“But for us to control the disease it’s really important that anyone who has the mildest symptom gets tested, it’s the winter and during the winter there are other viruses circulating and people will have very mild symptoms,” he said.
“Children will have symptoms and pass it on to their parents.
Dr Wattiaux said testing numbers on the Gold Coast had increased slightly since the lockdown, however “ there is room to have more testing being done”.
“Without testing we do not know how much disease there is circulating so please go and get tested,” he said.
“The Gold Coast is not safe from the virus. We know there could already be virus circulating or at least at risk of it.”
EARLIER
GOLD COAST LOCKDOWN TO BE RE-EXAMINED ON SUNDAY
By Ryan Keen
THE state’s top medical adviser has promised to consider lifting the lockdown devastating the Gold Coast if the city continues to record no locally acquired Covid cases.
The city is among 11 Local Government Authorities that have been in lockdown all week, scheduled to be re-examined by 4pm on Sunday.
Asked on Thursday morning whether LGAs such as the Gold Coast may have their lockdown lifted if they recorded no locally acquired cases, chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said: “It’s a very important point and something we always look at”.
She said it was “really important” that anyone who had been to exposure sites on the Gold Coast got tested immediately.
Her promise to “look at” it comes after Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has persistently called for the crippling Gold Coast lockdown to be lifted while it has zero community cases.
In the latest figures, the city continued to record no need cases despite Queensland having recorded 27 new Covid-19 cases.
Of those, 11 were linked to a ship off the coast of Gladstone and 16 are locally acquired cases linked to the growing southeast Delta cluster, which now has a total of 79 cases.
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Deputy Premier Steven Miles revealed the fact there were only 16 new cases related to the Indooroopilly Delta variant cluster was an “encouraging sign”.
Eleven of the cases are located on the PAN Europe – an LNG tanker off the Port of Gladstone – and were acquired overseas.
But said he would have to see what happened in regards to the number of new cases before making a decision on lifting the lockdown on Sunday.
He said the decision would be made “as soon as we can”.
“My absolute focus is on doing what we need to do today and tomorrow and Saturday to hopefully be able to lift lockdown on Sunday.”
Mr Miles addressed the thousands of Queenslanders in home quarantine and encouraged support of those people. He also thanked those who were staying at home for doing the right thing.
“Queensland, we’re very pleased to report this encouraging progress,” Mr Miles said.
“We need to keep staying at home.”
Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said it was “encouraging news” that only four of the new cases were infectious while out in the community. Three were out for one day, July 21 and another was in the community for two days, July 30 and 31.
The rest of the new cases were in quarantine when it was discovered they had the virus.
Across the state 52,351 tests have been carried out. There are now 122 active cases across Queensland and 65 were in hospitals across the state. One man is in ICU but is not on a ventilator.
Of the 16 new cases, three are students from Ironside State School, nine are household contacts linked to Ironside State School cases and one is teacher from Brisbane Grammar School. Two others are students who attended Brisbane Grammar and one is a person linked to the school.
Dr Young said she was very encouraged by the news and was pleased that more than 50,000 tests were undertaken in two days running and wanted this to continue.
“But it doesn't mean we’re through it yet, we’ve still got a long way to go.”
“Let’s keep this going,” she said.
Dr Young said she did not expect Queensland to be so far in front of the virus.
“It would be extremely special to be able to lift the restrictions on Sundays and I’m so hopeful we can,” she said.
“If we can lift restrictions on Sunday, other restrictions would remain.”
Dr Young said many of the infected people in the cluster were children, and instead of being in hospitals, they were being treated at home by their parents, many of who are doctors.
“Really most of these children are truly very well so there’s no need for them to be in hospital” she said.
She said the hospital at home initiative had been stepped up and was working well, but that not everyone with the virus was eligible to quarantine at home.
“It’s a very nuanced process,” she said.
Dr Young said there had been conversations around whether younger children should be required to wear masks and that authorities were looking at what’s being done overseas.
She said she did not regret comments she made on Wednesday in regards to avoiding online shopping because she believed that at “this point in time” the least amount of movement in the community as possible was important.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said she welcomed the 112,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine that was coming early from the Commonwealth Government and urged the community to continue to get vaccinated, even during lockdown.
Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said compliance around the state had been generally better but that police would continue their RBT-type operations to check people in lockdown weren’t travelling more than 10km from their homes.
He added that it was “concerning” that police handed out 253 masks on Wednesday and issued 12 penalty infringement notices for people refusing to wear a mask.
Meanwhile, police are continuing to hunt for a woman who fled hotel quarantine on the Gold Coast on Monday.
The 24-year-old forced her way onto a balcony through a sliding-glass door and escaped quarantine at the Sofitel Broadbeach overnight on Tuesday.
Police became aware of the major breach on Wednesday afternoon when the woman was found to be missing from the room.
Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman, of Gold Coast police, said the woman had been directed to quarantine at a hotel on August 2.
The woman had previously returned a negative Covid-19 test. She remains on the run.
Supt Wildman said the woman was considered “low risk”.
Police are currently reviewing CCTV to determine how and when she escaped.
Originally published as Covid-19: Gold Coast’s supply of Pfizer vaccine remains a challenge, with GPs struggling to get extra doses to meet demand
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