Almost 20 local regions in Queensland are yet to be 50 per cent fully vaccinated against COVID-19, only six weeks before a planned reopening to NSW and Victoria.

Despite months of warnings by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk about the need to get the jab before the December 17 deadline, several regional areas, including the tourism hotspot of Whitsundays, and pockets of Brisbane’s outer suburbs are still well behind.