Leadership concerns raised as Yarrabah rolls out child jabs

An Aboriginal elder has called out failing leadership and lack of education as an under-vaccinated township falls deeper into a Covid crisis.

A YARRABAH elder has called out failing leadership and lack of education as the under-vaccinated indigenous township falls deeper into a Covid crisis.

On Thursday 13 news cases were recorded and five on Friday in the township whose double vaccination rate currently sits well below the statewide tally of 88.3 per cent.

The population of Yarrabah has struggled to lift Covid vaccination rates in line with the Queensland average. Picture: Brendan Radke

Since the first case was detected in the indigenous community on Sunday floodgates opened and new cases have been added daily.

Of a population sitting at about 4000, 64.7 per cent have been double jabbed and 75.5 per cent of people had received one dose.

Former Yarrabah mayor and baker Percy Neal raised concerns about at-risk residents living in overcrowded accommodation and the flouting of mask mandates since the virus gained a foothold in the town last week.

“I am really, really worried about this coronavirus,” he said.

“And the people are worried, because there is no response from the authorities.

“People are going into the shop without wearing masks. I am really disappointed and really worried.”

Former Yarrabah mayor Percy Neal at False Cape.

More than 23,000 new cases have been recorded in Queensland on Friday and three unvaccinated people lost their lives.

In Yarrabah on Friday there were 75 positive cases across 30 households.

Director of clinical services at Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service Dr Jason King said the rapid spread was of “major concern”.

“When you’re talking about 75 cases over 30 households, that’s nearly 10 per cent of households in Yarrabah in the span of four days,” he said.

“Due to overcrowding and also high burden of chronic disease, most patients who are being diagnosed with Covid are being diagnosed in at least moderate to high risk categories.”

Given the sluggish uptake of adult vaccines Dr King was buoyed by numbers achieved by the child vaccination program that kicked off on Monday.

“This week we have vaccinated over 19 per cent of eligible five to 11-year-old community members. Currently we are sitting well above the national rollout figures,” he said.

But Mr Neal said there needed to be a co-ordinated education effort and strict rules about who could enter the community.

“All contacts coming into Yarrabah should be vaccinated, school teachers and doctors,” he said

“We all need to stand together, that’s one way to get the message out to people. “

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Originally published as Leadership concerns raised as Yarrabah rolls out child jabs