Fear sweeps Indigenous communities as AstraZeneca Covid-19 jabs are suspended

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in venerable Indigenous communities on Cape York and in the Torres Strait could remain on hold until mid-May.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath, centre, in Mossman Hospital, north of Cairns, last week. Picture: Mark Murray.

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Indigenous communities on Cape York and in the Torres Strait could remain on hold until mid-May after a decision to suspend the AstraZeneca jab.

Community leaders say they are concerned that fears among local residents about the purported risks in being given the vaccine will lead to vaccination rates dropping significantly.

The region had been identified as a priority for the rollout of the vaccine because of the greater risk COVID-19 poses to Indigenous people and the proximity to Papua New Guinea, where the number of cases has skyrocketed.

Uptake had been strong, with Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service reporting 95 per cent of people offered the vaccine in Torres Strait had accepted it and had reported “no significant adverse reactions”.

The rollout was put on hold on April 8 after the federal government said Australians under 50 would be given the alternative Pfizer vaccine, due to a small risk of developing blood clots.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath, who met last week with community leaders in Cairns, told The Australian jabs would resume in the Torres Strait within a month with the Pfizer vaccine.

Ms D’Ath said there was “some hesitancy” among people over the aged of 50 about AstraZeneca despite the risks being only identified in the younger age bracket.

Queensland health workers will now be trained be deliver the Pfizer jab, cold-storage units were being sent to the Torres Strait and across the state as clinics were being ramped up to provide both types of vaccine.

Ms D’Ath said the majority of Torres Strait residents were under 50, which led to the decision to suspend the rollout.

“I have been in the Torres Strait (last week) and we are training staff to give Pfizer and getting the supply chain ready for cold-storage equipment,” she said

Torres Shire mayor Vonda Malone said issues with the AstraZeneca vaccine had left people reluctant to be inoculated.

“The vaccine pause has caused further angst, particularly with those who have received the vaccine,” Ms Malone said. “I know because my daughter received it. If there is an issue, what happens to the Indigenous people who have already received it?”

TCHHS has also sought to stamp out persistent rumours within the community about the safety of the vaccine.

“We are aware of claims on some social media about a death in the Torres Strait of a young person after being vaccinated,” it said.

“These claims are false.”