NT has only used about half of COVID vaccine stock, figures show

Concerns have been raised about the pace of the NT’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout with new figures revealing the Territory has only used about half of its stock.

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CONCERNS have been raised about the pace of the NT’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout with new figures revealing the Territory has only used about half of its stock of vaccines.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said more than 9000 doses of the COVID vaccine had been administered to Territorians to date.

New figures revealed by the NT News show the Northern Territory has only administered about 53 per cent of the vaccines it has been given.

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It comes after Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud recently launched an extraordinary attack on the states and territories’ vaccine rollout efforts as Australia continues to fall short on its rollout target, telling them to “pull their finger out”.

About 600,000 doses of the vaccine had been administered in Australia so far, but the Prime Minister wanted 4m shots by the end of March.

Minister Fyles has hit back at the criticisms and said she was “very pleased” with the NT’s vaccine rollout so far.

“For us in the Territory, our circumstances are a little different to those other jurisdictions that are trying to vaccinate a huge population; our challenge is that geographical spread,” she said.

“I feel like our lines of communication with the commonwealth are open, we’re seeing the vaccine arrive.”

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Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro also expressed some concerns about the pace of the NT’s vaccine rollout.

“The health, safety and economic survival of Territorians is dependent on the vaccine rollout happening as fast as possible – there is no time to waste,” she said.

Minister Fyles said the NT’s vaccine rollout would be ramped up among Aboriginal residents this month, with inoculations due to start in remote communities in a few weeks.

She said public health materials had been put together in multiple local languages to prepare the vaccine to start rolling out in remote communities from mid-April as a part of Phase 1b.

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