General News
23 February, 2021
COVID vaccine gets rolled out.
The very first COVID vaccinations in The Far North will be administered at the Cairns Hospital this week.
The very first COVID vaccinations in The Far North will be administered at the Cairns Hospital this week.
As part of the COVID Vaccination Program, people in priority groups who are most at risk and who need protection the most, received the vaccine first.
Frontline healthcare workers and quarantine and border workers were the first to receive the vaccine through the dedicated Pfizer hubs. The Cairns rollout follows the Gold Coast which started its vaccination program on Monday.
Federal Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said the staged approach to the rollout would ensure those who need the most protection get it first.
“From this week, some of our most essential workers and vulnerable Australians in Cairns and Far North Queensland will be vaccinated, with more of our community to follow in the coming weeks and months,” he said.
“The initial priority groups will include aged care and disability care residents and workers, frontline healthcare workers, and quarantine and border workers.
“The rollout will begin with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine from early March.”
A Queensland Health spokesperson said in a written statement that Vaccine supplies were currently limited, and Australia must prioritise who receives the vaccine.
“The priority in the first weeks of the program is to ensure that vaccination is offered to those at the highest risk of exposure to COVID-19 and to those who are at the highest risk of severe disease.
“The Department of Health is working with all Hospital and Health Services, including Cairns and Hinterland, on planning and preparing for the vaccination rollout.
“As larger supplies of AstraZeneca vaccine become available, which are expected from mid to late March, the vaccination program will be progressively expanded across Queensland.
“People living in Queensland’s regional, rural and remote regions will be offered the COVID-19 vaccine at the earliest possible opportunity.
“More locations will come online, including more hospitals, and GPs and pharmacies will deliver the vaccine to more Queenslanders, as safety and quickly as possible.”
Find out more about the rollout and priority groups at: www.aus.gov.au
