Fast-tracked vaccine for COVID health workers’ households

People living with health workers dealing directly with COVID-19 are now eligible to get their vaccines immediately, as the State Government claims the vaccine supply is dwindling.

People living in the same households as health workers who are dealing directly with COVID-19 patients can now come forward to be vaccinated.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said those people were now grouped in 1B.

“Anyone who lives in the household of a healthcare worker that is now dealing with COVID cases, we’ve included you in 1B so you can come forward and get vaccinated to try and protect the other members in the household, because we know even if you have been vaccinated you still can get the infection and pass it on,” she said.

“We’ve seen that.”

Meanwhile it’s not known whether Queensland will receive more of the Pfizer vaccine this weekend despite there being just three days worth of supply left.

“I was told yesterday, I haven’t had an update from there, we’ve got three days supply,” Dr Young said.

She said she didn’t know whether more supplies would be delivered over the weekend.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was hoping to get more, while calling on the Federal Government to provide a weekly update on how much of the vaccine each state and territory were expected to receive.

She said Prime Minister Scott Morrison had not yet responded to her request to extend the halving of international arrivals until the end of April, but he has agreed for the first two weeks.

“But as you saw today we’ve got another seven cases coming in from overseas,” she said.

“We’re seeing around this five to nine cases daily coming in, so that’s putting a strain, it puts everyone at risk.”

The Premier said Queensland was recording the most cases of COVID-19 in returned overseas travellers.

“We are the highest at the moment,” she said.

“Queensland is the highest because of the number of people returning with the infection coming into Queensland.

“The halving (of arrivals) is a good first measure.”

Originally published as Fast-tracked vaccine for COVID health workers’ households