Premier visits Cherbourg as health experts reveal misinformation rife in community

A frosty reception that greeted the Premier in Cherbourg unscored why the community has been so resistant to the Covid jab, with a small group of protesters making a lot of noise.

Cherbourg has been fighting ferociously in their uphill against misinformation in the community, skyrocketing their vaccination numbers as the opening of the Queensland border edges closer.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk this week visited the Cherbourg community, which up until recently had recorded the lowest numbers in Queensland.

Hostility toward the vaccine hasn’t fully dissipated, with a small group of protesters forcing the Premier’s daily press conference to be moved from Barambah Park to the Cherbourg TAFE.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk provided the case details during her visit to the Aboriginal community of Cherbourg. Photo: Holly Cormack

A small group of locals, including 63-year-old Irene Landers, gathered outside the Council Chambers where the Premier first held a private meet and greet with community leaders.

“I didn’t want the vaccine. I didn’t want it at all,” Ms Landers said, who received her first jab a few days ago as part of council’s door-to-door vaccination initiate.

“This is being forced upon us, because we have to travel back and forth to Brisbane Hospital. Apparently we won’t be allowed in the hospitals if we aren’t vaccinated.

Ms Landers said she wasn’t opposed directly to the COVID-19 vaccination, but was resistant to get it because she didn’t like feeling forced.

“Now all you white fellas know what it’s like to be a black fella, being forced against your will to do something that you don’t want to do,” she said.

Mater Health’s door-to-door vaccination team administered about 260 vaccination over nine days, skyrocketing Cherourg’s vaccination rate to around 70 per cent for the first dose.

Resident Desma Reynolds said she first got the vaccine back in September so that she and others could travel freely between the community and other regions in Queensland.

“It took me a while to get it, but our people like to go here, there and everywhere,” Ms Reynolds said.

Mater Health program manager Catherine Gilbert said while there had been some resistance, many who had previously been reluctant to get the jab after consuming misinformation were also receptive to the facts when approached one-on-one.

“A lot of people have been really keen to have the one-on-one private conversation that you can have with a door-to-door approach, which has really helped to allay some people’s concerns about the vaccine,” Dr Gilbert said.

Dr Gilbert said there’s been a lot of misinformation on social media ranging from the long-term effects of the vaccine to fertility issues to religious fears, as well as particular influences in town pressuring people not to get the vaccination.

This fear intensified when the death of Cherbourg elder Uncle Bevan Costello sent rumours swirling on social media, which his family have since debunked.

“There’s concerns that it will simply kill you, but that’s not what we’ve discovered through science,” she said.

“When people form strong views, sometimes they’re very happy to share those views and it does influence people unfortunately.”

Dr Gilbert said she has seen a lot of concern from a Christian perspective with some fearing they will “go to hell” if they get the vaccination.

“These are the kind scare tactics and misinformation coming from some social media platforms and some less than mainstream churches, which can be difficult to counter if the people are very influenced by that particular church,” she said.

Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Lynne McKinlay, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Cherbourg Mayor Elvie Sandow, and Education Minister Grace Grace with the Mater Health team.

Cherbourg Mayor Elvie Sandow said the door-to-door vaccination program has drastically improved Cherbourg’s vaccination rate, taking the community from near disaster to almost equalling the rest of the South Burnett region.

“Our first jab is up 70 per cent,” she said.

“I think by the time Mater leaves here, we’ll have 80 to 90 per cent.”

While this data relates to the postcode 4605, which extends from Moffatdale through to Windera, about 260 vaccination over nine days (230 first doses) puts Cherbourg at about the 70 per cent mark, according to Dr Gilbert.

Federal Government data derived from Medicare reported a 27.2 per cent double dose and 39.5 per cent first dose rate for Cherbourg, however Ms Palaszczuk said the new numbers have since been qualified by Queensland Health.

She said Cherbourg had benefited from the local community leaders talking about the vaccine and very strong sports role models reaching out to reluctant young people.

“This is a community effort. This is not just about government saying, ‘go and get vaccinated’,” she said.

“This is about protecting all of us.”

Ms Palaszczuk said Queensland’s domestic border was reopening on December 17 regardless of whether some areas hit 80 per cent fully vaccinated.