A concerning uptake of vaccine in regional Queensland could prevent the state from reopening

There is concern that a lack of vaccine uptake in regional Queensland communities could hamper the state’s reopening plans.

Regional areas of Queensland will play a vital role in the state reopening despite a “concerning” slow uptake of Covid vaccines.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has repeatedly refused to outline when her state’s borders may reopen to New South Wales and Victoria. She gave her clearest indication that it would be around the 80 per cent mark this week but added the caveat that it depended on “the situation of the day”.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

However, there is anxiety over the low uptake in parts of regional Queensland.

Isaac Regional Council Mayor Anne Baker said she was worried that only 22.5 per cent of her community in Central Queensland had been fully vaccinated.

“We are very aware we‘re among the lowest cohort in the country, which is concerning,” she said.

She added the vaccine numbers were slowly increasing but they had been largely affected by the vaccine rollout.

“The vaccine supply was initially an issue but the opening up of the age bracket has helped during the last four to six weeks. The average age of a person in Isaac is 32 so it will make a difference,” she said.

Isaac’s neighbouring local government area, the tourism hotspot of the Whitsundays, only has a vaccination rate of 34.1 per cent.

Further north, Yarrabah, near Cairns, has the lowest vaccination rate in the state with just 18.2 per cent. While Cherberg, 267km north of Brisbane, follows at 19 per cent.

Almost all of the population in these two communities are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

Victor Island in the Whitsundays.

Queensland's Chief Health office Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

The Federal government has recently splashed an extra $7.7 million in funding to help boost take-up rates and address hesitancy and misinformation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The funding will support vaccine liaison officers who will work closely with the community and “support community engagement activities and provide culturally safe messaging, address vaccine hesitancy, facilitate informed consent and conduct health promotion activities.”

The spread of the virus fears was echoed by Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young.

Dr Young said on Thursday the virus “will start spreading, we can’t stop it”.

“The only way to stop it is vaccination,” she said.