Wide Bay jab rates beaten only by Sydney in national vaccine race

The once lagging Wide Bay is now leading the Covid jab fight but Queensland health says the region is still vulnerable. Here’s why.

Gympie residents have been queuing at the Civic Centre vaccination hub to receive their jabs has helped the Wide Bay record the highest vaccination rate in Queensland over the past fortnight.

The Wide Bay is leading the Queensland charge in the fight to secure protection from COVID-19 with the region recording the highest vaccine uptake in the state since the turn of the month.

Figured released by the Federal Government reveal the Wide Bay has had a 7.2 percentage point increase in the number of residents aged 15 years or more to have at least one dose of a Covid vaccine since August 2.

It tied with Brisbane – East for the largest jump in that time.

Suburbs in the outbreak capital of Sydney were the only regions in the country to outpace this uptake.

As of August 15, 45.9 per cent of Wide Bay’s residents had received at least their first jab.

It was 38.7 per cent at the start of the month.

A goal of 80 per cent has been set by the Federal Government as the target for international borders to reopen.

Queensland Health data shows healthcare workers in Gympie (which is included in the Wide Bay under the Federal Health data despite being run by the Sunshine Coast Health and Hospital Service) have delivered 4925 doses since vaccines became available.

More than 10,000 Maryborough residents have been vaccinated at the City Hall hub. Photo: Stuart Fast

Almost 4400 of these have been given at the Civic Centre vaccination hub, which opened on July 27.

The State has delivered 46,716 doses across the remainder of the Wide Bay.

This includes more than 15,000 shots at the Hervey Bay TAFE, 13,656 at the Bundaberg TAFE, and 10,025 at Maryborough City Hall.

Biggenden and Gayndah have experienced the highest uptake of the Wide Bay’s outreach clinics with 520 and 325 shots delivered respectively.

Almost half of the Wide Bay’s population aged 15 years or more has had at least one shot of the vaccine.

The number of vaccines delivered through the region’s GP clinics and pharmacies are unknown.

In a media release Wednesday a Wide Bay Health and Hospital Service spokesman said the numbers were “excellent” but more people still needed to register.

“We do need to lift our vaccine rates even higher so our community is protected if it faces a future local outbreak of COVID-19,” he said.

“Lastly, we are also able to say that overall our health service is prepared to respond if we have a future outbreak.

“Our hospitals and fever testing clinics have proven throughout the pandemic that they can handle sudden changes in our local situation and any increase in demand for their services.

“Our public health unit has managed 15 Covid-19 cases in the last 12 months, without a single case of onwards transmission in our community.”