Warwick Town Hall vax clinic sees huge turnout as Covid cases skyrocket

Huge numbers of Warwick residents have rolled up their sleeves for the jab amid skyrocketing case numbers and a reported exposure site in town. FULL DETAILS HERE:

The Warwick community has turned out in force at a pop-up vaccination clinic in town amid a statewide spike in Covid cases.

A huge line formed down Palmerin St for the Pfizer vaccination clinic at Warwick Town Hall on Thursday, where residents were able to roll up their sleeves for either of their first doses or a booster shot.

The clinic will be the last chance for Warwick residents to get vaccinated against Covid in 2021, with the unprecedented wait times not deterring those eager to protect themselves and others as the state reaches huge daily totals.

Warwick mum Tegan Roche waited in line for almost two hours to get her first dose of the jab, overcoming concerns about getting it while pregnant with her third child.

“I had been putting it off being pregnant, but with the cases in Queensland rising, I thought it would be better to have it than not have it,” she said.

“I’ve spoken to my GPs and midwives, and it was reassuring but it is also still a bit concerning.

“The only thing that put my mind at ease was seeing the number of pregnant women getting vaccinated.”

Rachel Timmers was fully vaccinated in March due to her role as a midwife at Warwick Hospital, and was eager to take the chance to get her booster shot.

“I just want to get in and get it done. I didn’t expect the line to be this long, but it is good to see so many people being vaccinated,” she said.

“I definitely think it has something to do with the Covid cases around.”

It comes as the Aldi Warwick store has been identified as a potential Covid exposure site.

A statement on the company website reports a positive Covid case visited the Warwick supermarket on December 20, but did not further specify times or the level of exposure.

“While the risk of transmission to customers and team members is low, we have taken extra precautionary measures including an additional deep clean,” it read.

“Customers should be assured that they can continue to shop safely at our Warwick store.”

The store has not been officially listed by Queensland Health and Darling Downs Health was unable to confirm any local exposure to the virus when asked by the Daily News. 

A DDH spokeswoman said that with the Omicron variant spreading rapidly across the state, contact tracing efforts were being focused on high-risk settings.

“Going forward, Queensland Health will be limiting the exposure sites it publishes to those of most concern, including where vulnerable people may be affected,” she said.

“Given the rapidly rising case numbers in all parts of the state, we are asking residents of the Darling Downs Health Region to assume they are at risk of developing Covid no matter where they are, and take precautions such as wearing a mask in public and maintaining physical distance from other people.”

The massive vaccination was a quick change after more than a thousand people attended a Warwick rally against the State Government’s vaccine mandate, which was attended by high-profile guests such as One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson.

Queensland’s Covid numbers have skyrocketed since the borders reopened earlier this month, with the state recording a massive 2222 new cases on Thursday.

There are currently 8586 active cases of the virus across the state, bringing its total since the pandemic began to 10,752.

Queensland Health data indicates there are 138 active Covid cases across the Darling Downs Health region.

The Southern Downs community was 87.6 per cent fully vaccinated as of December 20, and more than 95 per cent of eligible residents had received at least one dose.

The Warwick Town Hall pop-up clinic will also run 9am – 1pm on Friday.