Tweed councillor James Owen issues plea for more Pfizer vaccines to help essential workers meet Queensland vaccine mandate
A councillor has pleaded with the federal and NSW governments for more doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in Tweed to help workers satisfy Queensland’s new border vaccine rules.
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A COUNCILLOR has pleaded with the federal and NSW governments for more doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in Tweed to help workers satisfy Queensland’s new vaccine mandate.
Tweed Shire councillor James Owen said in an “urgent” open letter essential workers and other residents will otherwise have to wait months for a Pfizer jab.
“Vaccination appointments are scarce in the Tweed Shire and the wait for a Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine appointment is months at present,” he wrote.
“I write to urgently request more doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine be allocated to the Tweed Shire as a matter of urgency.”
Cr Owen addressed the letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Health Minister Greg Hunt, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard
He said Tweed residents were desperate for a Pfizer appointment after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced her state’s new vaccine requirements on Monday.
From Saturday, essential workers travelling in the border zone must have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine and be able to produce evidence of their vaccination, as well as a valid border zone travel pass.
Essential workers will not be allowed to enter Queensland without the jab.
Cr Owen said the announcement left Tweed workers “desperately searching for a vaccination appointment in the next four days”.
“If they are unable to source an appointment it will mean they can no longer carry out work in Queensland,” he said.
“For those that want to be vaccinated, and who choose the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as their preferred vaccine, for medical reasons or other, there must be doses available to them.
“Here in our border community, we are in a desperate situation. We are pleading for support from both the NSW State and Federal Governments to help us to keep our heads above water.”
Cr Owen said allocating more doses to the Tweed was a “matter of urgency”.
Premier reveals one new local Covid-19 cluster case
August 17: Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced one new local Covid-19 case linked to the southeast school cluster during a press conference on the Gold Coast.
It was detected in home quarantine, while one new overseas acquired case was detected in hotel quarantine.
Ms Palaszczuk said there was 110 active coronavirus cases in Queensland, and that 10,837 tests and 14,300 vaccinations had been conducted in the last 24 hours.
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She said 2895 people were in home quarantine on Tuesday morning.
It’s also been announced the Coast is poised to be a huge winner from Brisbane’s loss of the Ekka during lockdown, with the show holiday moved for an extended Spring break.
Tuesday’s conference was held at Paula Stafford Park outside Kurrawa Surf Club on Old Broadbeach Rd.
Ms Palaszczuk met with Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace, Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe and Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan to make a tourism announcement.
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Ms Palaszczuk’s conference comes after the state recorded two consecutive days of zero new locally acquired cases.
On Monday, Ms Palaszczuk revealed her government was still in talks with the New South Wales government regarding shifting the border south to Tweed River to reduce traffic woes.
She said the decision was up to the discretion of the government of the southern state, and its premier Gladys Berejiklian.
It was also revealed on Monday essential workers crossing the Queensland-New South Wales border will need to have had at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine from Friday
Worker vaccine mandate as Tweed River border move up in air
August 17: Queensland has a second day of no new locally acquired Covid-19 cases, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has revealed, while defending the state’s decision to tighten border restrictions.
Essential workers crossing the Queensland-New South Wales border will need to have had at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine from Friday, as a decision on shifting the border south remains up in the air.
Ms Palaszczuk said at a press conference in Brisbane on Monday morning there was no new local cases or overseas acquired cases.
It means there’s now 129 active coronavirus cases in Queensland.
In the last 24 hours, there has been 6724 vaccinations and 9209 tests conducted in Queensland. Ms Palaszczuk said 3325 people were still in home quarantine.
She said the Queensland government was “extremely concerned about the possibility of this virus coming into Queensland”.
She apologised for the inconvenience to motorists at the Queensland-NSW border, but said the tightening of restrictions was vital.
Ms Palaszczuk said the government was “still in discussions about the Tweed River issue” – namely, moving the border further south.
She said the matter was up to “the discretion of the NSW government” and her government “tried our hardest”.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said essential workers crossing the border must have at least one dose of vaccine from Friday, as the border measures tightened further.
She expected most of the workers would already by vaccinated.
Ms Palaszczuk said: “They (essential workers crossing the border) will be required from Friday to have at least one dose of their vaccination.”
“We are extremely concerned about the possibility of this virus coming into Queensland so we will take every precaution we possibly can,” she said.
“The positive sewage testing for Delta has been creeping northwards, so we are very concerned.”
Motorists trying to enter Queensland on Monday morning have faced lengthy delays amid confusion over the tough border restrictions with NSW.
Ms Palaszczuk said motorists were experiencing waits of about an hour on the M1 and half an hour on the Gold Coast Highway at about 9am, after somewhat longer delays earlier on Monday morning.
“We know that the NSW lockdown will be several months,” she said.
“These measures are strict. We will be enforcing them.”
Ms Palaszczuk said she was informed on Twitter, like many people, the entire state of NSW would go into lockdown and she was forced to deploy more police to the border.
“These are probably the tightest border controls we’ve put in place, they are going to be very strict,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said the government “worked very hard” to boost police numbers and she expected there would be “very minimal movement” from NSW.
On Saturday, Ms Palaszczuk announced six new locally acquired Delta cases, which were all linked to the southeast cluster and detected in home quarantine. One new overseas acquired case was also detected in home quarantine.
Even better results were aired on Sunday, when no new locally acquired cases were announced, and one new overseas case was detected in hotel quarantine.
‘Serious concern’: Premier worried NSW outbreak will creep into Qld
August 13: Queensland has recorded eight new cases of Covid-19 – including seven locally acquired Delta cases linked to the Indooroopilly cluster and detected in home quarantine.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there was one overseas case, also picked up in hotel quarantine.
She also raised her “serious concern” the lingering New South Wales outbreak would creep north while speaking at a Brisbane press conference on Friday morning.
Ms Palaszczuk said NSW needed a plan for the containment of Covid-19 and she hoped to hear more at national cabinet later on Friday.
“It’s encroaching into regional NSW, it’s encroaching north and south and is now in the ACT,” she said.
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“The last thing we want to see is this virus spread north, south and across the nation. It’s a serious concern for the rest of the nation.
“We’re looking forward to an update from NSW at national cabinet.
“NSW needs to have a clear plan for containment – this is a concern for the rest of the nation.
“We do wish them all the very best – it’s spreading, it spreads easily.”
Ms Palaszczuk was worried the virus was “not just in Sydney now” and was “encroaching into other parts of the state”.
“It’s up near the border where we are, it’s a real concern,” she said.
There’s 158 active Covid-19 cases in Queensland and 35,503 tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath revealed more than 23 per cent of the Queensland population has now had their second dose of Covid-19 vaccines.
The new numbers come after Ms Palaszczuk on Thursday warned Gold Coast residents and Queenslanders more generally to steer clear of the border with New South Wales due to the southern state’s worsening Covid crisis.
Ms Palaszczuk said on Thursday that Queensland had recorded 11 new Covid-19 cases in the previous 24 hours, including 10 linked to the school Delta cluster and detected in home quarantine. One new case was acquired overseas.
She said there was 155 active cases and 130 linked to the cluster.
There had been more than 16,000 vaccinations and 31,700 tests in the previous 24 hours.
Queensland has recorded 1948 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, seven people have died, 1753 people have recovered and more than 3.79 million tests have been undertaken.
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