Gold Coast GPs are the unsung heroes of the Covid vaccination rollout, racing to get patients vaccinated before Delta arrives
GPs say the deadly Delta strain will eventually reach the Gold Coast and they’re racing against time to protect the community. THEIR WARNING >>>
Gold Coast
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GOLD Coast GPs are the city’s unsung vaccination heroes.
Arguably carrying the lion’s share of the city’s vaccine rollout, they’re racing against time to protect residents before the deadly Delta variant arrives on the Gold Coast.
Hundreds of doctors from some 150 medical clinics across the city are trying to reverse hesitancy by educating patients who’ve been put off having the jab by the state and federal governments mixed messaging around the vaccine rollout.
“We have a window of time in which to get people vaccinated before Covid does spread in our border community,” said Dr Lisa Beecham, Gold Coast Primary Health Care director and Robina GP.
“GPs are working harder than they have in years in a race against time to protect their patients and the community.
“Please help us and get vaccinated if you’re over 12.”
On Monday one new locally acquired case of Covid was recorded and detected in home quarantine. It’s related to the Sunnybank cluster. Another was acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk thanked the 56,907 people, including 6748 on the Gold Coast, who got a Covid jab during “Super Pfizer Weekend”. It was so successful she’s considering another one.
This means just over 60 per cent of Queenslanders have now had one dose. Data from September 18 shows 41.5 per cent are fully vaccinated, this number is expected to increase somewhat after the weekend’s efforts. Australia-wide, as of September 19, 46.7 per cent of people 16 and over are double vaccinated.
It comes as the NSW government revealed 89 per cent of people who’ve died from Covid-19 since March were either unvaccinated or had only received one dose.
Dr Sonu Haikerwal, of Haan Health and the Upper Coomera Respiratory Clinic, said the Gold Coast was “inching slowly” forward but that every day “quite sensible patients” would say they didn’t want the vaccine.
“I then go quiet, give them a hard stare and say ‘talk to me’,” she said.
“We will have a very bad Christmas here, I have a feeling.”
Dr Haikerwal said Covid was nothing like the flu and was a “horrible, horrible disease” with the whole body’s immune system totally disrupted causing a myriad of life threatening side effects.
“People don’t understand the disease because it’s not being talked about enough, when you have seven deaths in a state like we do, it’s like nothing to people,” she said.
“Unless you’re well travelled or have a global perspective or family overseas, then it’s easy to sit on the beach, eat your avo on toast and get a pay check from the government thinking ‘it won’t affect me’.”
Dr Kat McLean, General Practice Gold Coast board chairman, said the governments’ “messaging has been challenging” but GPs were there to answer the questions and “cut through the misinformation that is out there”.
“In regards to local cases, it’s not if, it’s when. We absolutely need to be racing.
“Access to vaccines is much better and with eligibility open up to all over 12 and a choice of vaccine for those over 60 there’s never been a better time to get the jab.”
She also encouraged pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding to get immunised, after the medical fraternity was initially cautious with this group, saying it’s now considered safe.
Dr McLean also wanted to bust the myth that the Covid vaccine could cause infertility.
“On the contrary we have information that Covid-19 may cause male infertility and sexual dysfunction,” she said.
“Now is also a good time for all of us to look at how clean the air we breathe is.
“So much can we done here. Outdoors is best and open windows.
“There is an independent group of Australian scientists, OzSAGE, that are preparing some fantastic resources for schools and businesses.
“I think we are likely in for a bumpy few months.”
Broadbeach Family Practice Dr Krista Talbot said her clinic had so far administered 3000 vaccines in total, offering Pfizer every morning and AstraZeneca two afternoons a week.
“By getting vaccinated you are not only keeping yourself safe and improving your chances to travel but you are protecting the vulnerable people in the community and the people who aren’t lucky enough to be able to be vaccinated like our young children,” she said.
Heather McLellan-Johnston, director of Medical on Miami and the Burleigh Cove Respiratory Clinic said: “The more friends and relatives prove to people that the vaccine is safe without issues occurring post vaccination – less people are resistant towards getting the vaccine”.
“Children under 12 are unable to receive any vaccine, so the more we vaccinate 12 and over the less likely under 12s will be at risk of contact,” she said
“The whole world is doing its best to get back to the new normal. Currently we have no alternative but to vaccinate.”
Grim reality facing patients of Coast border clinic
Sept 8
“WE’RE screaming but no one is listening”.
The grim reality facing dozens of speciality health clinics on the border and impacted by a lack of exemption for staff is that it will cost lives of cancer patients, a clinic manager says.
Those affected include a cancer clinic denied a Queensland Health exemption for the return of their Tweed-based support worker.
Tugun’s East Coast Urology practice manager Fiona Sillar said: “We have been informed the work we do treating hundreds of cancer patients is not critical to Queensland.”
Ms Sillar said her clinic dealt with category one patients with prostate, bladder and kidney cancers who needed close monitoring. The clinic can only open three days a week instead of its usual five, leaving dozens of vulnerable patients without potentially lifesaving treatment.
“Having regular check-ups is crucial for patients’ potential outcome for survival and the spread of the cancer as it can be quite aggressive,” she said.
“With no end in sight as far as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reopening borders, delaying treatment is without a doubt going to cost lives.”
Ms Sillar said her receptionist was the backbone of the practice and organised theatre lists, helped elderly patients with border passes, booked anaesthetists and located assistant surgeons if required. She’s been unable to fill the position because it was only temporary.
“Like many other specialties here on the border it is not possible for the practice to stay open long term without crucial support staff,” she said.
“In saying the work is not critical the government is also saying these people’s lives are not of any value to Queensland.”
Prominent urologist Dr David Sillar said his patients from both Queensland and NSW were affected, with waiting lists in the public sector blowing out to at least two years.
“Queensland Health’s position is our patients can be seen by other providers but the public waiting list for urology services on the Gold Coast is at least a year to get an appointment, let alone have treatment,” he said.
“We’re talking about cancers, and being seen in a timely manner can mean the difference between a survival cancer and a non-survivable cancer.”
Dr Sillar said for his NSW patients, Lismore’s public waitlist for urology services had blown out so much that patients would be seen quicker if they travelled to Newcastle.
“It’s not acceptable that patients wait years to be seen because by then the cancer may have spread,” he said.
In his exemption refusal letter dated September 2, Queensland Health’s (QH) director-general Dr John Wakefield said the work by the urology clinic’s receptionist was not “essential”.
The reasons were: “the work you undertake as outlined in the application is not critical to Queensland; and there is no evidence to suggest that the work you undertake cannot be sourced from an equivalently qualified worker in Queensland”.
“Due to the unfolding Covid-19 situation in New South Wales, which continues to move north towards the Queensland border, there is a serious risk posed by persons entering Queensland from New South Wales.
“We have a responsibility to protect the health and wellbeing of all Queenslanders and this is the least restrictive manner in which we can prevent the spread of Covid-19.”
But Ms Sillar said her highly-trained receptionist was critical to ensure the clinic remained open and patients treated.
“This is not a job just anyone untrained is able to walk in and do. We also have to keep in mind the potential legal ramifications but implications to real peoples lives if the job is not done correctly and things are missed,” she said.
Ms Sillar said QH telling patients to go elsewhere for treatment was ‘ridiculous’.
“Patients have often had complex treatment involving other applied workers and specialists and it is not possible for the limited number of other specialists already struggling with their workload to safely take over the care of so many more patients, again it will be at the cost of these peoples lives,” she said.
“This is not about the specialists or the support staff, it is about the cancer patients and many others who do not have a voice and have been told their lives are not critical to Queensland.
“It feels like we’re screaming but no one is listening.
“It seems only footballers’ wives matter.”
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