Cairns mass vaccination hub: Convention centre vax dose numbers revealed

Health authorities have confirmed the total number of people who got the Covid jab on the opening weekend of Cairns’ mass vaccination hub.

THE final numbers are in as Cairns aims to hit a 1500-a-day target at its new mass vaccination hub – and there will be some catching up to do at future events.

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service data reveals staff carried out 1190 vaccinations at the Cairns Convention Centre hub on Friday.

Activity picked up to 1377 jabs on Saturday, and on Sunday staff administered 1144 vaccines.

CHHHS executive director of the Covid-19 vaccination program Dr Don Mackie said there were no big queues and on average it was 45-minute turnaround for people walking in without an appointment.

“We were very pleased with the turnout to our first weekend of the Covid-19 mass vaccination event in Cairns with 3707 people vaccinated over the three days,” Dr Mackie said.

We have the capacity to do more vaccinations and encourage people to register or walk in next Friday, Saturday or Sunday, (September 17-19).”

The city might be falling short of its target of 18,000 doses over four weeks, but Covid-19 vaccinations program director Kelly Pollock said it was heading in the right direction.

“It is the first weekend,” she said.

“We will be ramping up for the coming weekends and we hope to hit that mark of 1500 a day.”

12 year old twins Shiloh and Sienna Nakachi of Kanimbla took the opportunity to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 coronavirus at the mass vaccination hub set up in the Cairns Convention Centre. Picture: Brendan Radke

Ms Pollock urged residents to come down and roll up their sleeve when the hub reopened from Friday to Sunday this week – and afternoons appear to be the quickest time.

“We’ve had a mixture of walk-ins and appointments, but I want to reinforce how easy it is for walk-ins,” she said.

“The queues are low at the moment. We tend to have peaks in the mornings, which seem to be a little bit busier.

The mass vaccination hub set up in the Cairns Convention Centre. The clinic is capable of administering up to 1500 Covid-19 coronavirus vaccines each day. Picture: Brendan Radke

“We’re monitoring the queues … and the average time to get from entrance to exit is about 45 minutes.”

Cairns MP Michael Healy congratulated everyone who made the trip – including his own sons who visited the hub on Sunday.

“There’s ample supply, they’re ready and it’s really quick,” he said.

“It will only cost you a little bit of time out of your day and it gives you, your family and your community the knowledge that we are doing everything we can to put Covid behind us.”

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Originally published as Cairns mass vaccination hub: Convention centre vax dose numbers revealed