Question Time: Queensland Government reveals when state expected to hit 90 per cent vaccine target

The State Government has revealed for the first time when Queensland is expected to reach the 90 per cent fully vaccinated target. QUESTION TIME BLOG

Queensland is expected to reach 90 per cent fully vaccinated by "very early" next year as authorities applaud the strong uptake in jabs over the past week.

It's the first time the state government has given an indication as to when Queensland would hit 90 per cent which under the roadmap would allow fully vaccinated people to finally travel overseas without quarantining when they return.

Queensland today recorded no new local Covid cases and one overseas-acquired detected in hotel quarainte.

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It comes as Vaccine Operations Coordinator, Acting Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy said he was confident the state would hit 80 per cent by December 17 at the current rate. 

"There's no question about that," he said. 

Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner and State Vaccine Co-ordinator Shane Chelepy in the Vaccination Hub at the Brisbane Convention Centre. Picture Lachie Millard

Mr Chelepy said there were many variables that would lead Queensland to 90 per cent but that he expected to reach it in early 2022. 

"Nsw and Victoria, they'll get to 90 per cent before us, but if you look at NSW, they were in a lockdown for eight weeks, so they really had an incentive to come out and get their freedoms back," he said. 

"We need people to get vaccinated to hold our freedoms."

He said while there had been good uptake in some regions last week, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay and the Isaac region were among those still lagging. 

"We need to lift them fast," he said. 

Mackay's jab rate grew by 4.6 per cent last week while Rockhampton's was just under 4 per cent. 

The Acting Deputy Commissioner said authorities were still working through how police border checkpoints would operate when the state reached 80 per cent

Originally published as Question Time: Queensland Government reveals when state expected to hit 90 per cent vaccine target

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