Covid hub delay leaves most vulnerable ‘sitting ducks’

One of the Gympie region’s most-at risk residents and outspoken critics of the vaccine rollout says neither the Qld nor federal government has covered themselves in glory after the program was dealt another blow this week.

One of Gympie’s most at-risk residents said on Tuesday the region’s most vulnerable residents had been left at risk of a “catastrophic” disaster following the latest delay to the opening of the long-awaited Civic Centre vaccine hub.

Emma Buhse, who suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (a disorder that affects a body’s connective tissue including skin, joints and blood vessels and leaves her extremely vulnerable to sickness), has spent several months pushing for wider vaccine access in Gympie, arguing that without it, vulnerable residents were “sitting ducks”.

Her personal campaign was driven by her own experience; she is fully vaccinated but was forced to source her own shots from the Sunshine Coast and Maryborough after being ruled ineligible for AstraZeneca due to her age.

And she was unsurprised by the delay to the hub’s expected end-of-week opening less than a week since it was formally announced.

The hub is now expected to open at the end of July.

Gympie resident Emma Buhse was forced to secure her vaccination shots at the Sunshine Coast and Maryborough owing to the slow rollout in the region.

“There were some incidents at the council hall in Maryborough (people arguing with vaccine hub staff because they wanted walk in appointments but weren’t offered the Pfizer vaccine) and comments that happened on the day that made me realise there were upcoming issues with the distribution of the Pfizer vaccine,” she said.

The state government blamed such a shortage for the delay.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Monday bookings across the state may not be available until October or November “because that is when all the supply comes in from the Federal Government”.

A vaccination hub expected to open at the Gympie Civic Centre this week will now be delayed until the end of the month.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the state government was now prioritising “everyone who already has a booking, all of our front line health workers and front line staff and anyone who is due for a second dose”.

The head of Australia’s Covid vaccine rollout, Lieutenant General John Frewen, told News Corp on Tuesday people under the age of 40 would likely be able to start receiving the Pfizer vaccine by September or October.

Ms Buhse said neither of the two levels of government were covering themselves in glory.

“(The federal government) are meant to be our primary leaders in fighting our way through this pandemic,” she said.

“So far it nearly feels like they’ve sabotaged our chances at every turn.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Pfizer bookings may not be available until October or November due to supply problems. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

“But the state government hasn’t done the best either despite a lot of responsibility and organisation being heaped on their shoulders last minute by the lack of action from the federal government.”

The state needed to get those vaccines to “1a and 1b” participants “as a priority no matter where they were in the state”, she said.

“We have vulnerable people in those groups and people who assist them now at the mercy of where this virus will travel due to vaccine scarcity and inaccessibility.

“If the latest outbreak gets into aged care or disability care facilities, we’re looking at something potentially catastrophic.”

Emma Buhse is calling for wider access to the AstraZeneca vaccine for those who understand the risks and are willing to accept them. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

She said the state and federal governments had also put “medical staff and GPs out in the cold to be inundated and abused too due to the lack of information and organisation they’ve failed to provide them”.

Ms Buhse supported making the AstraZeneca shot available to people who understood and accepted the risks.

“If they had properly allowed that to occur after the Prime Minister‘s press conference just over three months ago, there would’ve been more Pfizer vaccines for those who wanted a choice in which vaccine they had,” she said.

“And there would be more people vaccinated throughout the state and country right now.”

Originally published as Covid hub delay leaves most vulnerable ‘sitting ducks’