Revealed: Exact date Qld could reach 80 per cent jabbed mark

After the state’s record-breaking 325,000 jabs last week, Courier-Mail analysis can reveal exactly when Queensland could have 80 per cent of the community aged 16 and older fully vaccinated – if these steps are taken.

The staggering rise in Queensland’s Covid-19 jab rate means the state could vaccinate 80 per cent of the adult population and enjoy pandemic freedoms by mid-November along with the rest of the nation, if it keeps powering on.

A record 325,000 jabs were administered across the state last week, with the government’s no holds barred weekend of Pfizer shots credited with helping push vaccination rates to new highs on Saturday and Sunday.

New analysis by The Courier-Mail shows Queensland could have 80 per cent of the community aged 16 and older fully vaccinated by November 13 if the state government made “Super Pfizer Weekends” a fixture and other areas of the rollout collectively grew 5 per cent each week.

People line up to get vaccinated at the Brisbane vaccination hub at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

November 13 is the same date Australia as a whole is meant to hit 80 per cent, the target needed for increased freedoms that include international travel for the vaccinated as outlined in the national roadmap.

On that forecast, Queensland would hit 90 per cent of the adult population fully vaccinated by November 23, six days sooner than the current national forecast, assuming supply remains unhampered and demand is sustained.

Without the week-on-week jab ramp up, the state can expect to hit the 80 per cent vaccination sweet spot on December 7 — nearly a month after the rest of the country.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has indicated the possibility of another mass jab weekend, saying planning meetings were being held after the equivalent of the population of Hervey Bay was vaccinated in just two days.

“We need to drive those vaccination rates even higher,” she said.

“We don’t want to see our hospitals overwhelmed and our people sick … we have to be absolutely super prepared.”

“What we’re trying to do here in Queensland is protect our freedoms.”

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has also made reassurances that Australia’s supply of mRNA jabs — Pfizer and Moderna — would not be hit by issues in October contrary to concerns voiced by the leaders of Victoria and the ACT.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Minister Andrew Barr claimed national cabinet had on Friday discussed potential shortfalls in Pfizer supplies for next month due to global supply chain issues.

Mr Hunt said issues flagged at national cabinet had involved one potential delayed shipment and the problem had been solved over the weekend.

“We’re expecting all of our contracted anticipated deliveries will arrive in full. That means an increase from October to September, all of the states and territories are going to receive their full horizon,” he said.

This means Queensland will still receive between 450,000 and 517,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna jabs each week from October, based on the government vaccine horizons document.

The vaccine rollout nationally has also expanded to include pharmacies administering the Moderna jab as of Monday.

A total of 1800 pharmacies will be involved in the Moderna rollout this week, before doubling to 3600 next week.

“What that means is, over the course of October, every Australian will have access to be vaccinated; enough in Australia to vaccinate every Australian, not just once, but twice,” Mr Hunt said.

But vaccinating 80 per cent and 90 per cent of Queensland’s adult population could hit a major roadblock due to hesitancy.

The latest hesitancy report card from the Melbourne Institute shows 21.6 per cent of Queenslanders are unsure or refuse to get the Covid-19 jab, the second highest rate in the nation behind WA.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young has indicated she would like to see 90 per cent of eligible Queenslanders vaccinated.

As it stands, 41.76 per cent of adult Queenslanders have been fully vaccinated, compared to 47 per cent nationally.

The state reported no new local cases of Covid-19 on Monday, though one man who travelled from Newcastle back to Darwin via Brisbane on September 17 tested positive in the Northern Territory.

He was fully vaccinated and had been in quarantine the whole time as he had come from NSW.

Two new cases were detected in Queensland hotel quarantine.