Toowoomba GP urges 57k residents to get Covid vaccine as Queensland border deadline approaches

Time is running out for the Darling Downs’s 29,000 unvaccinated residents, with this weekend representing the last opportunity to get your first jab before the borders start to reopen.

Medical assistant Wendy Whiteley and Dr Mark Bennett of Middle Ridge Family Practice encourage residents to get their Covid jab before the borders open. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Veteran Toowoomba GP Dr Mark Bennett is scared some of his patients will die unnecessarily because they weren’t fully-vaccinated for Covid-19.

“I’ve had lots of a patients (who have expressed vaccine hesitancy),” he said.

The Middle Ridge Family Practice doctor and the region’s medical fraternity have urged the 29,000 unvaccinated residents to get their first jab by this weekend to ensure they are fully covered before the first border restrictions are relaxed next month.

The State Government will allow people from hot spots into Queensland from November 19, which when the population is expected to be 70 per cent fully-covered.

Further restrictions will ease on December 17, something Dr Bennett said would lead to more cases of infection and hospitalisation.

“What you’re seeing down south, we can’t just hope it’s not going to happen here, because it probably will,” he said.

“If people are double-vaxxed, they’re less likely to be sick but they could spread it.

“Those people who are not vaccinated are going to get sicker and have a greater chance of going to hospital.

“If you don’t want the vaccine and you get Covid, that’s your choice, but you’ve then spread it to 30 people who didn’t make that choice.”

Dr Mark Bennett of Middle Ridge Family Practice encourages residents to get their Covid jab before the borders open. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Dr Bennett also cleared up concerns people would often raise about the vaccine’s side-effects, pointing out people were more likely to get those with the disease itself.

“Pfizer can cause myocarditis, but guess what, Covid also causes it,” he said.

“Yes it can come from the vaccine, but if you don’t get vaccinated, it’s probably rather than possible going to happen with Covid.

“The AstraZeneca vaccine possibly causes clots, but Covid probably causes clotting.”

Dr Bennett said plummeting cases of influenza as a side effect of social distancing also highlighted how deadly Covid-19 and its variants were.

“If you look at death figures for influenza over the past couple of years, uncomplicated influenza has gone from thousands to none this year, but we’re still having deaths from Covid,” he said.

Darling Downs Health acting chief executive Annette Scott said it was vital unvaccinated residents got their first shot over the next few days, with the Pfizer vaccine requiring a three-week wait until getting the second dose.

“When more people start moving across the border there’s a very real possibility that Covid-19 will arrive and spread across southeast Queensland,” she said.

“The best way to avoid this is if we step-up and get vaccinated because it’s our best protection from Covid-19.”

Covid VACCINE LOCATIONS THIS WEEKEND

Here are the following walk-in clinics run by the State Government:

• Toowoomba: Clifford Gardens Shopping Centre, 8.30am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday

• Pittsworth: Club Pittsworth, Saturday only, 1pm-4.30pm

• Warwick: Warwick Rodeo Craft Markets, Saturday only, 8am-2pm

• Laidley: Laidley State High School, Saturday and Sunday, 8am-3pm

• Roma: Roma community clinic (197 McDowall Street), Saturday only, 10am-3pm

Several GP clinics across the region have bookings available this weekend. To book a jab, head to Covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au.

For details on opening hours next and how to book your jab, Google “getting vaccinated Qld”.

MORE THAN 57K DARLING DOWNS RESIDENTS UNVACCINATED

The number of Darling Downs residents who still haven’t gotten a single Covid-19 jab is larger than the entire population of Hervey Bay.

More than 57,200 people across the Darling Downs Health area, which covers seven local government, remain unvaccinated as time runs out before Queensland’s borders start to reopen to interstate travellers.

Just one of the local government areas (Goondiwindi) has passed the 80 per cent mark for at least one vaccination, while the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council’s rate sits at just 33 per cent.

Four of the six councils areas are on track to reach 80 per cent double-vaccination before Christmas, with Goondiwindi to become the first in Queensland to hit the milestone.

Both the Banana and Cherbourg council areas might not hit 80 per cent until next year unless vaccination rates pick up.

The amount of unvaccinated residents across the DDH area is about 5000 people larger than the city of Hervey Bay (52,200) on the Fraser Coast.

DDH acting chief executive Annette Scott said eligible people had until this weekend to get their first jab to ensure they were covered by next month.

“From the date of your first dose of Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine, which Darling Downs Health is providing, there’s a three week wait until you have your second dose, and then it’s two weeks until you get the full benefit of the vaccine,” she said.

“That’s five weeks in total so if you want to be fully protected before Christmas, you need to have your first dose as soon as you can.

“When more people start moving across the border there’s a very real possibility that Covid-19 will arrive and spread across southeast Queensland.

“The best way to avoid this is if we step-up and get vaccinated because it’s our best protection from Covid-19.”

DARLING DOWNS VACCINATION UPDATE — OCT 24

Goondiwindi: 79.8 per cent (80 per cent by Nov 1)

Toowoomba: 62.3 per cent (Dec 5)

Southern Downs: 61 per cent (Dec 5)

South Burnett: 51.9 per cent (Dec 14)

Western Downs: 51.2 per cent (Dec 24)

Banana: 48.8 per cent (Feb 4, 2022)

Cherbourg: 25.7 per cent (June 18, 2022)