REVEALED: How many Warwick residents have received the COVID vaccine so far and when it will become more widely available

How many Warwick residents have been vaccinated so far and when you can expect to receive the controversial jab.

BIG JAB: Hundreds of Warwick residents have already received the COVID vaccine. Picture: contributed

Hundreds of Warwick and Southern Downs residents have already received the coronavirus vaccine, but the wider community sentiment towards the controversial jab remains mixed.

The Queensland Health website states 332 doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered in a little over three weeks at Warwick Hospital, with doctors Chris Hegarty and Blair Koppen the first Rose City residents to get the jab on March 17.

A further 142 vaccines have been delivered at Stanthorpe Hospital and another 104 at Goondiwindi Hospital, bringing the Southern Downs region's vaccination total to 578 as of April 9.

 

Warwick doctors Blair Koppen and Chris Hegarty after receiving their first dose of the COVID vaccine last month. Picture: Tessa Flemming / Warwick Daily News

 

Queensland is currently in Phase 1b of the national COVID vaccine rollout strategy, which targets elderly adults aged over 70, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 55 and up, young adults with an underlying medical condition, and emergency or critical workers.

This is in addition to the demographics included in the ongoing Phase 1a, such as frontline healthcare workers and both residents and staff at aged care or disability centres.

Queensland Health states adults aged 50 - 69 and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 18 - 54 will be included in the next Phase 2a, with the remainder of the adult population likely to start receiving the COVID vaccine by mid-2021.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly announced on Thursday night that the AstraVeneca vaccine would be "avoided" for people aged under 50 due to potential links to blood clots.

Mr Morrison then stated less than 24 hours later on Friday that Australia would receive another 20 million doses of the Pfizer COVID vaccine by the end of the year. 

Members of the Warwick community remain largely divided on whether or not they will be rolling up their sleeves when it's time, with dozens of residents taking to social media to share their support or concerns about the vaccine.

"I had (the vaccine) a week ago and I'm good as gold! The flu vaccine gave me more adverse effects than this COVID vaccine," Tahnee Georgina wrote.

 

 

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"I can't wait! Vaccine means back to normal. I can only see lockdowns continuing if we don't get vaccinated," fellow resident Leaf Mialone said.

"No thanks … don't get flu shots and definitely won't be taking a vaccine for a virus that has a 99 per cent survival rate," Jacquie Wenmoth wrote.

"Take as long as required. Not lining up for this vaccine at all!" Alicia Fitzpatrick said.

Southern Downs residents must continue to wear face masks outside their homes, limit private gatherings to 30 people, and sit down to eat and drink in restaurants in line with statewide restrictions enforced until April 15.

A Darling Downs Health spokeswoman and Darling Downs and West Moreton Primary Health Network CEO Merrilyn Strohfeldt both urged members of the community displaying even mild COVID symptoms to get tested.

A Queensland Health spokeswoman said 89,236 people were tested for COVID between January 22 and April 7 this year in the Darling Downs Health region, with no current active cases in the area.

Originally published as REVEALED: How many Warwick residents have received the COVID vaccine so far and when it will become more widely available