Far north Queensland outbreak sparks Cape York fear

A Covid-19 outbreak in the far north regional hub of Cairns has sparked alarm throughout Cape York and increased the urgency of the vaccine rollout on the peninsula.

A police officer talks to an indigenous man about the lockdown rules in Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke

A Covid-19 outbreak in the far north regional hub of Cairns has sparked alarm throughout Cape York and increased the urgency of the vaccine rollout on the ­peninsula.

The five-month vaccine rollout in Torres Strait fell short of targets, with vaccine hesitancy fuelled partly by misinformation spread on social media and mixed messaging about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

This week, the focus shifted to Cape York, where anyone over the age of 16 will be given a chance to receive a vaccine during scheduled visits by health workers in the next few months.

The pressing need to protect vulnerable Indigenous communities was thrust into the limelight on Sunday by the three-day lockdown of the Aboriginal community of Yarrabah and nearby Cairns after two cases of the virus were detected in the city.

A taxi driver was believed to have been infectious in the community for 10 days, but genomic sequencing and contact tracing indicated he had likely picked up the virus from a ­marine pilot who tested positive last week.

Yarrabah mayor Ross Andrews said the outbreak in Cairns had led to a surge in the number of people attending the local health clinic to get vaccinated and bookings were up for the rest of the week. “There are encouraging signs down at the health centre that people are coming forward and getting vaccinated,” he said. “I know today was pretty busy.

“We’ve got a bit of momentum and we’re encouraging the community to take up vaccination because it is the only thing at this stage that can protect us. This particular case, with us in close proximity to Cairns, we have to remain cautious and vigilant to protect our most vulnerable ­people.”

Mr Andrews said the Delta variant had “changed the landscape” since the lifting of entry restrictions into Indigenous communities last year.

Lockhart River mayor Wayne Butcher said the Cairns outbreak had created a sense of urgency in his community, which will be visited by Queensland Health workers bearing vaccines on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. “I think with that scare in Cairns, everyone will be there for sure,” he said.

“A lot of people travel between Cairns and Lockhart, so we are always on edge here. We’re using social media to encourage everyone … because they were all a bit hesitant after AstraZeneca incidents around the world. Now everyone is comfortable with Pfizer and I think what’s happening in Cairns is helping (vaccine uptake) as well.”

Thursday Island-based Torres Shire mayor Vonda Malone said she had been reassured by Queensland Health that they would return to her community to complete the vaccination rollout after the peninsula had its turn. About 50 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated, well below the 80 per cent target.

“I think (the Cairns outbreak) has definitely sent a clear message that we are not as remote as we think,” Ms Malone said. “We are a very transient population who move around. Even though we are isolated in the Torres Strait, things can move quite quickly; we can’t be complacent.”