EDITORIAL: Incentives must play a role in encouraging the vax

While there are too many Territorians for too few vaccines right now, incentives need to be considered when we begin to hit the more hesitant parts of the community.

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner is right: currently, there are enough Territorians clamouring for a vaccine appointment that incentives aren’t yet necessary.

And as he keeps foreshadowing, there’s a big boost of Pfizer coming down the line in coming weeks.

Just yesterday Mr Gunner revealed an 8000-dose-a-month boost to the NT’s supply.

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But what the Chief Minister will soon need to reckon with is that, even in the so-called ‘success stories’ of the vaccine rollout globally, health authorities have hit a wall.

There comes a point when there’s no one left wanting the jab, who hasn’t already got it.

Then comes the tough part: convincing the vaccine-hesitant to book in for the jab.

This is where incentives can help play a role.

Incentives can help boost enthusiasm for Covid-19 vaccines among otherwise hesitant people. Photograph: Che Chorley

Simple measures such as benchmarks for allowing vaccinated Australians to travel to the Territory from interstate hotspots and giving them some of their freedoms back will go a long way to boosting the value proposition for those remaining stragglers.

We want everyone in the Northern Territory to roll up their sleeves get their vaccine (unless they have medical grounds to be exempt), but it’s realistic to say not everyone will.

What we need to focus on is getting as close to that 100 per cent fully vaccinated as possible, and incentives must play a role.

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