Gunner makes impassioned plea for Territorians to get COVID-19 jab as laws to make roll-out easier set to pass unopposed

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner has made an impassioned plea to Territorians to get vaccinated against coronavirus. It came as laws that will make the rollout of the vaccine more efficient in the NT by were set to pass parliament unopposed

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner has made an impassioned plea to Territorians to get vaccinated against coronavirus, saying misinformation being peddled about the jab was fuelled by “fear“.

It came as laws that will make the rollout of the vaccine more efficient in the NT by cutting administrative rigmarole were set to pass parliament unopposed Tuesday evening.

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The NT’s rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine started on Monday, with Health Minister Natasha Fyles confirming a total of 88 people — all of them frontline workers — received their first jab that day.

On Tuesday, vaccinations were also being rolled out in the Red Centre.

Mr Gunner, responding to a slew of negative comments to a recent social media post made about the vaccine, said as leader he had a “responsibility to provide you confidence in the vaccine”.

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner. Picture Glenn Campbell

The COVID-19 vaccine is free and voluntary.

“And I am asking you to please remember this: We have seen the best minds in the medical world working around the clock to find a vaccine for COVID-19,” he said.

“If you are picking an argument with me on vaccines you are not arguing with a politician, you are arguing with scientific and medical consensus.”

The first doses of the Pfizer Covid 19 Vaccine arrives in Darwin. Picture Glenn Campbell

Urgent changes to the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act, as per Ms Fyles’ explanatory statement, are largely administrative.

The changes will allow the chief health officer to declare locations where the vaccine can be administered without having to go through the time and money-consuming gazetting process.

It allows the chief health officer to have more flexibility around the groups of people who can administer the vaccine beyond doctors, like midwives, nurses, and pharmacists.

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Those allowed to administer the vaccine must also ensure they gain the person’s consent to receive the vaccine among other rules.

Breaking the rules attracts a fine of up to $15,800 and is an offence of “strict liability”— meaning the rule-breaker will be fined even if they didn’t intend to break the rules.