Covid NT: Kids vaccine rates hit 50 per cent

Territorians aged 5 to 11 are on track to reach a crucial vaccine milestone, just one month after the paediatric rollout began.

THE Territory is set to hit a new vaccine milestone tomorrow, with 50 per cent of children aged five to 11 having received their first dose.

More than 12,100 vaccines have been administered in just over a month since the paediatric rollout began.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said it was a positive sign to see how quickly the target has been reached for the younger demographic.

“Our youngest Territorians have been setting an excellent example for the rest of the country to follow by rolling up their sleeves to protect themselves and their community,” she said.

It comes three weeks into the school year and almost a month to the day since children became eligible for the vaccine on January 10.

“Eligibility for the paediatric vaccine only opened one month ago — so to achieve a 50 per cent first dose rate so quickly is an outstanding result.”

Those aged five to 11 are advised to wait eight weeks between having their first and second dose, with the Territory-wide rollout to begin next month.

According to the NT government website, more than 95 per cent of Territorians aged over 16 have now had two doses of a vaccine.

More than 75,000 booster shots have also been administered, with 39 per cent of the population who are eligible now triple-vaxxed.

In kids aged between 12 and 15, 90 per cent have had their first dose and 75 per cent have had two.

In terms of overall population, 79.5 per cent of Territorians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 71.8 per cent have had two, according to data on Covid Live.

Call for widespread lock-ins across remote communities

THE Opposition will call for a broad lock-in of Covid-ravaged remote communities.

The Sunday Territorian can reveal the CLP will make a push for all communities in the so-called ‘biosecurity zones’ to have their movement limited.

The Northern Land Council have indicated they would support such a proposal, saying a lack of Rapid Antigen Tests and high movement between remote communities was seeing the virus seeded across the NT.

It comes as the Territory’s Omicron wave continues to trend upward.

The federal government in recent weeks designated the East Arnhem, West Arnhem, Roper Gulf, Victoria Daly, West Daly, Central Desert, Barkly, Macdonnell and Tiwi Islands regions as ‘biosecurity zones’.

The declarations, which came amid growing Covid-19 outbreaks in communities, were implemented to limit the movement of people between different regions.

CLP Aboriginal Affairs spokesman Steve Edgington .Picture Katrina Bridgeford.

But no measures exist to prevent travel between different communities within the same biosecurity zone.

CLP Aboriginal Affairs spokesman Steve Edgington said an immediate lock-in across these zones would “give health authorities the chance to travel to individual communities” to help roll out a major vaccination drive.

“We are calling on the Gunner Government to implement a fortnight of lock ins for communities inside the current biosecurity boundaries, to stop movement between communities within these zones,” Mr Edgington said.

He criticised the NT government for not having done more in recent weeks to bolster vaccination rates in some communities.

“The biosecurity zones have now been in place since the 2nd of February,” he said. “The Gunner Government has wasted an opportunity to send in health teams to educate and vaccinate vulnerable Territorians while they are confined to the biosecurity boundaries.”

Northern Land Council chief executive Joe Martin-Jard said his organisation would be “broadly supportive of that”.

NLC chief executive Joe Martin-Jard said responses needed to be escalated. Picture: Greg Stonham/Australian Defence Force

“What we’re hearing from people who live in these communities is that there’s still too much movement between communities,” Mr Martin-Jard said.

“People are not able to get rapid antigen tests prior to moving.”

Mr Martin-Jard said he wanted to see vaccination efforts being stepped up by the NT government, saying there was “overwhelming evidence” the jab was saving lives.

“We would’ve liked to have seen (more done), but we realise these are difficult times.”

There were a record-breaking 1383 cases of Covid-19 reported in the Territory on Saturday. There were 170 people in hospital, of whom 21 were requiring oxygen. Two patients were in intensive care.

Saturday’s total was the highest daily figure ever recorded in the Northern Territory.

The NT’s increasing caseload comes despite outbreaks in other Australian states and territories having declined in recent weeks.

Originally published as Covid NT: Kids vaccine rates hit 50 per cent