Annastacia Palaszczuk, Deputy Premier Steven Miles get first COVID-19 jab

Annastacia Palaszczuk has triggered angry responses to her tweet about why she’s getting her Covid-19 vaccination, as she responds to more criticism over the dose she was given. HAVE YOUR SAY, TAKE OUR POLL

Annastacia Palaszczuk has been slammed online after tweeting her reason for getting the Covid-19 vaccination, while critics are also taking issue with her choice of jab and why she didn’t get it sooner.

Ms Palaszczuk received her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, becoming the last eligible state or territory leader to get the jab.

WAS THE PREMIER'S TWEET TONE DEAF? HAVE YOUR SAY IN OUR POLL BELOW

“Today I got the Pfizer vaccine in the event I need to travel to Tokyo for the Olympics,” she later wrote on Twitter, adding a link to register for vaccination with Queensland Health.

Many criticised Ms Palaszczuk for the comment, with Australia’s international borders still closed to the public and domestic travel restrictions in place due to Victoria’s latest lockdown.

“Oh you’re going to Tokyo? How nice for you,” one person replied.“I mean, many of us haven’t seen our families in years but hey, we can’t all be very important people doing very important things. Have such a fun time!”

Another wrote, “This is messed up. Millions of Australians want to see their families but can’t leave and you’re getting vaccinated so that you might be able to go to the Olympics.”A similar comment said, “Absolutely tone deaf when people haven’t seen family for over a year.”

I also may need to go to... Tokyo... for the.. Olympics. Vax me up please. https://t.co/YUHyqpWv7C

— Osman Faruqi (@oz_f) June 7, 2021

One person wrote, “It took me over six months, seven cancelled flights and $10,000+ to fly back to Australia to hug my terminally ill mum one last time and you are talking about ‘needing’ to go to the Olympics? Absolute joke and a kick in the guts to stranded Aussies. Assuming home isolation on return too.”

Another said, “So you can go to Tokyo for absolutely no reason whatsoever, but vaccinated parents of a newborn can’t visit their baby in Queensland? It all makes sense now!”

One person added, “You’re keeping my elderly parents from travelling back to their home in Queensland despite the fact they’re in regional Victoria which has had ZERO cases – but you’re tweeting nonsense about going to Tokyo?! How appalling.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is given the her COVID-19 vaccination by clinical nurse Dawn Pedder at the Surgical Treatment Rehabilitation Service Centre in Brisbane. Photo: Sarah Marshall

Ms Palaszczuk was forced to defend herself for not receiving the Covid-19 jab sooner, saying she had to have a tetanus shot which she then followed with the annual flu vaccine, but online users also questioned why she didn’t get the AstraZeneca jab.

The Premier received her first Pfizer jab today ahead of a potential trip to the Tokyo Olympics next month.

“Why not AZ your over 50?” one person asked on Twitter.“I got my Pfizer a week ago. Can I go on holiday to Japan?” another asked.

“You could have had two doses of AZ by now. Not a good look when others over the age of 50 are told they can only have the AZ vaccine. All are equal but some.....,” was another comment.

“This is bad optics. I get that the intended message is that get vaccinated is our ticket to travel/open borders but this reeks of political elitism that alienates people,” another person replied.

If only there was some way to have predicted the reaction to this tweet. https://t.co/6DmPCBdysF

— Scott Dooley (@scottdools) June 7, 2021

Ms Palaszczuk at a press conference insisted there may be a requirement for Queensland to present to the Olympics Committee about its 2032 bid.

“That is why I had the Pfizer,” she said.

The Premier said she would have received AstraZeneca if the potential Olympics trip wasn’t on the cards.

“The chief health officer got AstraZeneca, the health minister got AstraZeneca, so the Cabinet is following the guidelines,” she said.

Pressed on why it had taken so long to get the vaccine, Ms Palaszczuk said she had to receive a tetanus shot after being bitten by her dog Winton.

She then received the flu jab.

“I’ve had three vaccines in three weeks,” she said.

Today I got the Pfizer vaccine in the event I need to travel to Tokyo for the Olympics. Register to vaccinate here: https://t.co/4PFyE9EjOV

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) June 7, 2021

Meanwhile the state government has no other options on the table for its push for a regional quarantine hub, despite the Commonwealth late last week revealing new guidelines including that a hub must be close to a tertiary hospital.

Queensland’s proposal is for Toowoomba which does not have a tertiary hospital.Townsville, Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane do.

“We have a very clear option on the table, that comprehensive proposal now has been forwarded to the Commonwealth with all of their outstanding issues addressed,” Ms Palaszczuk said today.

“It is very, very comprehensive.

“We’ve put a lot of work into Wellcamp (Toowoomba).

“There have been months of discussions.”

The Premier, who said the government was waiting to hear the Commonwealth’s decision around Toowoomba, claimed it was “a bit rich” to have new criteria “dumped” on them on Friday.

Ms Palaszczuk received a shot of Pfizer this morning after speaking with her GP. 

She was joined by Queensland’s Deputy Premier Steven Miles and Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe. 

Ms Palaszczuk received the vaccine at Herston’s Surgical Treatment Rehabilitation Service.

It is understood Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has also received her first doze of AstraZeneca vaccine.

Ms Palaszczuk justified receiving the Pfizer vaccine due to the likelihood of her travelling to Tokyo for the Olympics – with Pfizer’s three-week turnaround faster than the 12 weeks required for AstraZeneca.

Queensland Health delivered 17,032 vaccines in Queensland over the weekend, exceeding the 15,000 they were expecting.

Ms Palaszczuk and Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young, who both received their flu shot two weeks ago, were criticised for not “leading by example” and receiving the dose earlier – making Ms Palaszczuk the only Australian premier over the age of 50 who had not received the jab. 

Last month she said she would prioritise the flu shot.

“A lot of people are getting their flu shots because we’re coming into flu season – and then I’ll be getting my COVID vaccine,” she said.