Second Torres Strait jab take-up

The second dose of Covid-19 vaccines were rolled out in the tiny Torres Strait Islands of Saibai, Dauan and Boigu this week but only a fraction that got the first jab showed up for scheduled appointments.

THE SECOND dose of COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out in the tiny Torres Strait Islands of Saibai, Dauan and Boigu this week with only 66 per cent of scheduled patients attending.

Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service medical director Dr Tony Brown said the service had failed to reach the hoped “95 per cent” that attended the first rollout.

Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service primary healthcare centre Cluster Coordinator George Morseau is vaccinated by Nurse Immuniser Alison Wolf on Saibai Island.

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The uncertainty surrounding the AstraZeneca vaccine was to blame, according to Dr Brown.

“It’s always hard getting people back for a second vaccination,’’ he said.

“We also recognise there may have been some hesitancy among residents.”

TCHHS western cluster officer Margaret Mau was among the first people in the Torres Strait to be fully vaccinated.

She received her first dose of AstraZeneca on Dauan Island in March and said she suffered no side effects from either dose.

“I am a 60-year-old obese Torres Strait woman with a chronic condition, so I am in a very vulnerable category,’’ she said.

“ (Covid) could be life-threatening to someone like me and it’s important to be as fully protected as possible.”

Dr Brown said the vaccination teams now would return to Thursday and Horn islands over the next fortnight.

It comes as an update on the Cairns vaccination hub is imminent, although no details could be provided by the Cairns health service when contacted.

The region administered 750 doses up until Thursday, June 2, taking the total number to 22,313.

Originally published as Second Torres Strait jab take-up