COVID: Staggering jab wait in Gympie as vaccine hub still in limbo

Gympie residents unable or unwilling to travel to the Sunshine Coast to get vaccinated again Covid-19 are waiting months and being placed at the end of massive queues to get the jab in Gympie, while Qld Health stalls on opening a vaccination hub at the Civic Centre.

Gympie residents who do not want to travel to the Sunshine Coast to be vaccinated against COVID-19 are facing staggering waiting times of up to a month to receive their jab.

Calls are growing for Queensland Health to open a COVID vaccine hub in Gympie amid growing reports of residents being forced to drive to the Sunshine Coast or Nambour to be vaccinated or face months-long waiting times and massive queues at local clinics.

A number of Gympie residents, including MP Tony Perrett, report being faced with waiting times of a month or more, or being put on long waiting lists if they wish to receive their shot in the region.

One woman in her 50s, who needed to ensure the full vaccination schedule was completed by October so she could travel for work, was told she was 400th in the queue to get her first jab in Gympie.

“When I went online to look at other availability, one clinic on the coast could get me in the next day,” she said. “So I went with that.”

Another couple in their 50s rang their local GP about being vaccinated and were told they had to go on a waiting list to even get a booking.

That was weeks ago.

When they went online to register for the vaccination at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital hub there were multiple pages of appointment times and they said they could “not fault” their experience there.

Bli Bli Clinic was one of the earliest available places eligible Gympie residents could book their COVID vaccination.

“(The slow rate of vaccination in Queensland) is certainly not because of a lack of desire of people wanting to go get the needle,‘ they said.

“It‘s the availability of the vaccine – and we’re only two hours from Brisbane. Can you imagine what’s going on in more remote regional areas?”

The Australian Government’s online vaccine clinic finder website lists nine booking options within the region.

All bookings at these need to be done over the phone.

Those wanting to be vaccinated as soon as possible needed to be ready to pack up and head south.

The “earliest available” options for eligible Gympie residents include Noosa Heads Medical, Nambour Clinic Family Medicine, Bli Bli Clinic and North Shore Medical Centre – Mudjimba.

Bookings can be made at these clinics within two days.

Residents say they have been faced with wait lists of up to a month to be vaccinated in the region.

The waiting time blows out to a week for the next available location, at Eumundi.

No bookings are available at any of the remaining Sunshine Coast locations on the list.

Questions still remain over if, when and where a vaccine hub would open in the region.

The Civic Centre has been mooted as the location, but Queensland Health has refused to confirm or deny that.

A Queensland Health spokesman said the State was “implementing strategies to further support the progress of the vaccination program, including establishing Pfizer community-based vaccination locations across Queensland”.

“We are also working with the Commonwealth to activate community pharmacies and preparing for mass vaccination locations later in the year.

“So far, Gympie Hospital has administered more than 290 vaccinations, with more done through the Federal Government’s primary care program.”

Gympie MP Tony Perrett says he had to wait at least 90 days to book a vaccination spot when he registered with Queensland Health. Picture: Shane Zahner

Questions about whether such a hub had been identified to open in Gympie were not responded to.

Gympie MP Tony Perrett said the experience of teeing up a vaccination appointment was frustrating for residents.

“Many say they cannot book online,” Mr Perrett said.

“I registered with Queensland Health, Gympie Hospital was the only place listed, and you couldn’t book a vaccination spot there within 90 days.”

He said the delays in the rollout across the region were not caused by supply issues.

“There is nothing wrong about the availability of vaccines, there is something seriously wrong about the delivery,” he said.

“The problem is with Queensland Health and the Queensland Government.

Gympie’s Civic Centre is reported to be under consideration to become the region’s vaccination hub; Queensland Health has neither confirmed or denied these reports.

“We have already seen that Queensland has the second lowest vaccination rates in the country.

“So other states are doing it right.”

Mr Perrett also criticised what he said was radio silence following a request to the department for more information.

“I wrote to the Health Minister, Yvette D’Ath, because people are concerned they cannot get vaccinated in Gympie at a medical practice.

“Almost three weeks ago I wrote an urgent request from a local medical provider wanting authorisation to provide the vaccine.

“I wrote because they were frustrated they were getting nowhere, and the total lack of transparency, information and poor management from the Department.

“There has been follow up phone calls and the request was resent a week ago.

“I have still not received a reply.”