Forget political pointscoring and get on with vaccine rollout

Told by my GP’s office that they had neither any vaccine nor any idea when it would arrive, I logged on to the appropriate government website to book a jab.

In the eligibility test, I expected my admitting to 81 years of age would convince them, but no — I had to plough through another six or seven irrelevant questions. Finally deemed eligible, I entered my postcode and was rewarded with a list of clinics offering vaccinations. I rang the closest one and was told they didn’t have any vaccine and had no idea why they were on the list.

A call to a clinic in a larger town was successful, and I am booked in on Thursday due to a cancellation. I then received a wad of bumf via email including four pages of forms, two of which relate to my signing up as a patient of a practice I am unlikely to visit again. Details were sought of my complete medical history, current medications, height, weight and how much I drink. In dealing with that lot, I nearly lost the will to live.

Clunky doesn’t begin to describe this system — it’s an utter disgrace. Is there anyone in charge?

Peter Waugh, Peregian Beach, Qld

Great article, Matthew Lesh (“So slow on the jab, we need war effort to end pandemic”, 31/3) Leaving logistics in the hands of public servants was a disaster waiting to happen. Australia does logistics well. Why did we not appoint commercial experts to set up the delivery of vaccines around the country and train volunteers like Britain to administer the vaccine? My 95-year-old mother and her colleagues in a Sydney retirement village still await the vaccine while some much younger people were vaccinated weeks ago. Could someone explain that to me?

Stuart Hetherington, Chatswood, NSW

Given our status as a nation reputed for its advanced health system, one can only look on in immense bewilderment at the slow vaccine rollout.

I was fortunate to be a part of the 2009 swine flu immunisation campaign. Clinics were run in schools or community halls with large numbers of people turning up. Plenty of parking and space. Many of these clinics were run by local government, which had established immunisation clinics within their local municipalities. The clinics offered childhood vaccinations and often had the contracts for the school immunisation program. They were a ready source of resources and labour for a pandemic type scenario.

Sadly, due to some poor government decision-making, many have closed. I was fortunate to work in the Toowoomba Regional Council clinic, which had existed since 1932 to assist with the polio campaign. It is no longer in operation, closing in 2017.

Leaders in this country need to commit to an approach that exceeds vaccine rollout beyond doctor’s surgeries and intended pharmacies. Neither have the ability to vaccinate high volumes in a short timeframe. It would also be a responsible government to reintroduce community vaccination centres to better prepare us for a future pandemic.

Nicole White, Toowoomba, Qld

I have a solution inspired by Paola Totaro’s article about her experience as a volunteer to vaccinate in Britain (“Their finest hours: UK’s volunteer army”, 27-28/3). Train up all the unemployed/underemployed travel industry staff to step in and give the jab. After all, we are a highly skilled caring profession, have excellent problem-solving skills, are accustomed to detailed administration work, and are resilient. We are also so fed up with our industry being strangled by outbreaks, border controls and inexplicable government decrees. We will guarantee to work faster than it seems everyone else can. If this is what it takes to get us up and running properly again, bring it on.

Adrienne Witteman, managing director, Trendsetter Travel

The vaccine rollout blame game: it’s the federal government’s fault, it’s the Queensland government’s fault, and once again the end user, the public, is caught in the middle or rather at the bottom. It’s all about political pointscoring. What a disgraceful state of affairs.

Blade Johnstone, Victoria Point, Qld

You don’t get any more frontline than medical staff working with infected patients (“Jab go-slow leaves state vulnerable”, 31/3). So how can they not have been the first vaccinated?

Burt Bosma, Surrey Hills, Vic