Covid Qld: New pop-up vaccination hubs to be rolled out as battle to reach 80 per cent intensifies

Queenslanders enjoying the People’s Long Weekend from Friday can get a Covid shot with their ice-cream at a whole host of tourist-friendly locations including theme parks and surf life saving clubs up and down the coast, as the drive to get to 80 per cent fully vaxxed ramps up.

Queensland has recorded no new Covid-19 cases in the community or in quarantine, but new contact locations have been added after two people tested positive after being kicked out of the state.

Parts of the far west of Queensland have been put on notice, as both people visited multiple places in the region.

A couple of car loads of people who crossed the border illegally were positive while visiting outback towns of Cunnamulla, Quilpie, Thargomindah and Charleville, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.

Mr Miles said he was concerned about the Covid cases that had been active in the community but the key to overcoming it was vaccination.

He said vaccination efforts have been going “gangbusters”, with close to a record number of vaccinations on Saturday, with more than 28,000 people getting the jab – more than 13,500 of whom did so at one of the pop-up clinics at schools.

Police said they had “pretty well completed the investigation” into how the Gold Coast Uber driver made it over the border from Melbourne but will not release any details until they have had the chance to speak to him.

Speaking from Redcliffe Surf Life Saving Club, Mr Miles announced even more pop-up clinics would be set up for the People’s Long Weekend at key tourism hotspots.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The government has partnered with SLSQ to host pop-up clinics at beaches from Port Douglas to Coolangatta - there will be more than 20 new locations.

Pop-up clinics will open at 20 surf clubs and six theme parks across the people’s long weekend.

People will be able to get a vaccine at Dream World, Movie World, Sea World, Currumbin Wildlife Park, Australia Zoo and Aussie World.

The list of surf clubs offering vaccinations is yet to be finalised.

Mr Miles said he was very confident that the state would hit 80 per cent fully vaccinated by December 17 but the government was bracing for some regions to have rates much lower than that.

As reported in The Sunday Mail, some of those regions could spend Christmas in lockdown, with the state government acknowledging it “may take a little while” to reach the freedom-triggering 80 per cent vaccination target.

The government is attempting to get more Queenslanders vaccinated amid mounting evidence the state will miss its December 17 deadline to reach 80 per cent double dosed.

Mr Miles said he was conscious that people were maybe not listening to politicians when it came to the importance of getting vaccinated so they have started calling on “star power” to help the sluggish vaccination rates, including lions star Charlie Cameron who will head to Mt Isa next week to spruik the message.

The government is sticking to its guns on not allowing fully vaccinated, negatively tested overseas arrivals into the state without hotel quarantine until the 90 percent target is reached.

Asked whether Qld would join the likes of NSW and Victoria to allow quarantine free international arrivals at 80 per cent Mr Miles said the government’s roadmap was “very clear” and it intended to stick to it.

It comes as Australia’s medical regulator will consider an application from Pfizer to use extra shots of the vaccine to boost protection against Covid-19.

Deputy chief health medical officer professor Michael Kidd said a Therapeutic Goods Administration committee would meet on Monday to look at the new data submitted by Pfizer.

“Pfizer has submitted the data which the TGA needs to look at, and that will be happening on Monday, whether there is further information required from Pfizer, we’ve got to wait and see what the TGA determines,” he said on Saturday.

He expected the rollout of the booster shots to be ready as early as November 8, with priority given to aged care, disability care and frontline health workers.

People who have had two Covid-19 vaccine shots will likely get their third, booster jab six months after the last one.