Premier, CHO lay out early plans for COVID-19 vaccine rollout

The first 100 COVID-19 jabs in Queensland will be given on the Gold Coast on Monday, with the state’s top doctor saying everyone 18 and over will be vaccinated by October.

COVID vaccines will start rolling out in Queensland on Monday, with a plan for 100 jabs to be given on the Gold Coast.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said her government was concentrating on the plan for next week, for the beginning of the vaccine’s rollout.

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“The roll out goes right up until the end of October,” the Premier said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Queensland’s vaccine rollout will continue until October. File picture Glenn Hampson

“There are responsibilities for the state for the roll out … and there are responsibilities for the commonwealth.”

Ms Palaszczuk said the roll out would start off very slowly, with there being no need to panic.

It comes as the state again records zero cases of COVID-19 overnight, with 9846 tests conducted over the past 24 hours.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said authorities planned to vaccinate 27,000 frontline workers in Queensland over the next month.

“The month after that is when we’ll start going to the more broader population,” she said.

“No one will be missed here,” Dr Young said.

She said anyone 18 years old or older would be vaccinated by the end of October.

“That is our plan,” she said.

There should be 14 days between when someone gets the COVID-19 jab and the flu vaccine.

Dr Young urged everyone to get the flu jab this year.

The vaccine will initially be rolled out to those most at risk of catching COVID-19 in Queensland.

“There are people working in hotel quarantine, there are people working at the borders who are coming into contact with potential cases,” Dr Young said.

“So that will help enormously.”

She said it was the government’s plan to vaccinate every single one of those workers over the next month.

“Then the month after that is when we’ll start going to the more broader population,” she said.

“No one needs to do anything today in terms of getting vaccinated.

“We will be approaching those people who we really believe need to be vaccinated to protect themselves from getting it, because they’re being exposed, and to protect the rest of the community.

“If we get all those people vaccinated, which we fully intend to, that will protect our entire community in Queensland because we know that’s where we’ve had outbreaks.”

Following this, all healthcare workers will be approached, then the roll out will gradually be expanded to include vulnerable people.

Dr Young said at this stage, pregnant women and those breastfeeding should not get the jab because trials haven’t been undertaken.

But she said those women should consult with their doctors.

The vaccine will start being rolled out on the Gold Coast on Monday where 100 people will receive it.

This will move to the Princess Alexandra Hospital on Wednesday and to Cairns next Friday.

The vaccine will then arrive at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, the Sunshine Coast University Hospital and Townsville the week after.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the vaccine hubs were for dedicated cohorts like hotel quarantine workers.

“It’s not for the general population,” she said.

She urged the general public to not turn up to a GP, pharmacy or hospital to get the jab in coming weeks.