Vaccine Qld: Around-the-clock jabs flagged as rollout solution
Queensland needs to increase its vaccination rate by 20 per cent a day to reach its target of full vaccination on time.
Around-the-clock Covid-19 jabs has been suggested as a way to boost Queensland’s vaccination rate, as an analysis of vaccine data shows the state’s weekly rate is rising each week.
But in order for Queensland to hit the 80 per cent fully vaccinated rate, when lockdowns are expected to be less likely, the number of jabs being put into arms would need to increase by 20 per cent a day.
Analysis of state and federal health department data by website Covidlive.com.au shows Queensland is 119 days away from 80 per cent of people aged 16 and older being fully protected.
The projection is crunched using a seven-day rolling average of vaccines delivered and analysis by The Courier-Mail revealed if Queensland increased its current rate by 20 per cent it could hit the 80 per cent benchmark by November 25.
The state administered 263,718 jabs last week, up from 255,659 the week before and 187,264 in the last week of July.
But the Sunshine State is trailing every other state and territory, except for Western Australia, with 25.2 per cent of Queenslanders fully vaccinated.
Just 43.5 per cent have received one jab.
It comes as infectious disease physician Associate Professor Paul Griffin – who the state government commissioned to undertake an investigation into why a Prince Charles Hospital worker was unvaccinated despite working outside a Covid-19 ward – said he believed
Queensland could hit the 80 per cent target in November but the state needed to be ambitious and not get complacent.
He said the risk perception had changed recently, citing the escalation of cases in NSW.
“People keep telling me they want to get it,” he said.
Associate Professor Griffin said while greater supply was needed, more mass vaccination hubs should open.
“I think we need to be more creative,” he said.
“Open up a 24 hour centre in certain locations.”
He said with some people unable to get vaccinated during business hours, it was important to make sure there was an opportunity for everyone.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she didn’t believe Queensland was lagging and that every state and territory was “roughly the same point”.
“and if we have more supply we can vaccinate more of our population,” she said.
“We know that – we’ve got 100,000 people essentially on the waiting list to be vaccinated.”
She said she wasn’t anticipating Queensland to come last when hitting the 80 per cent target ahead of Christmas.
Tasmania, ACT and NSW, which are expected to hit 80 per cent fully immunised first, all delivered above their population’s proportion of vaccines in the seven days leading up to August 15.
