Deputy Premier says COVID-19 vaccine rollout ‘falls down’ in aged care sector

Queensland Deputy premier Steven Miles says any delays occurring in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout are occurring in the aged care sector, where the program is run by the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth is responsible for the state’s slow COVID-19 vaccine rollout after only 22 per cent of the doses were used in the first week, Steven Miles says.

The Deputy Premier said the aged care sector had seen a slow vaccination process since the rollout began on February 22.

“I have a lot of confidence in Queensland Health and the chief health officer’s planning and ability to deliver this (vaccine) and where we’ve seen the system fall down has been on the Commonwealth side where they are rolling out the vaccines in aged care at the moment,” he said.

“It’s incredibly important that we get this right and as I say, the number that we do (vaccinate) in the first or second week isn’t what’s important, it’s how quickly we can get it out and how confident our community is in getting it.”

The state has had the slowest vaccine rollout in the country so far.

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles speaks to the media. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

It comes as 4,212 people have received the Pfizer vaccine from Queensland Health since the rollout began.

In the past 24 hours 1,202 people have been vaccinated by Queensland Health.

Queensland is expected to receive supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine from mid to late March.

“While we received some information from the Commonwealth about what to anticipate we can’t action the arrival of those vaccines until they are here, until we know that we are getting them.”