Delightful if Queensland burned through its vaccine supply Young

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer said she would welcome a situation where the state used up every coronavirus vaccine dose it had as sprawling new COVID-19 threats loomed, because it would mean jabs were in arms.

The state has opened its 80-plus vaccination hubs to walk-ins for the entire population aged over 12 after months of concern over the availability of doses.

Brisbane’s Convention and Exhibition Centre vaccine hub is among the full list of Queensland government-run sites now opened to walk-ins.Credit:Matt Dennien

Urging people to visit any of the state-run hubs, participating GPs or pharmacies to get vaccinated as soon as possible â€" given the weeks-long periods between doses and full protection from the virus â€" Jeannette Young said it did not concern her if the state burned through its present supplies.

“We’ll get more, so we’ll manage second doses,” she said, referring to the long anticipated bump of Pfizer and Moderna supply from September and October.

As recently as last week, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk tied supply uncertainty to the state’s decision-making around how to lift travel restrictions with locked-down states once vaccination targets under the national reopening plan were met.

Asked on Thursday whether the walk-in vaccination push meant supply was now no longer a factor in that decision, Ms Palaszczuk said she was not going to speculate as there was still not full certainty from the Commonwealth.

She said the state had 13 days of stock and was waiting for a weekly update from vaccine rollout chief Lieutenant-General John Frewen at national cabinet on Friday.

Ms Palaszczuk has been among a range of state leaders beyond NSW, Victoria and the ACT raising hesitations about the national reopening plan, still being worked through but set to be triggered at the 70 per cent and 80 per cent vaccination milestones for the 16-plus population.

A total of 46.7 per cent of Queenslanders have received a first dose, compared with 54.2 per cent nationally.

On Wednesday, Tasmanian Liberal Premier Peter Gutwein announced his island state would not fully reopen its borders until 90 per cent of its population was fully vaccinated, after extrapolating national Doherty Institute modelling to gauge the likely impact of the inevitable Delta wave.

State-specific modelling has also been commissioned and is expected by mid-October. The Burnet Institute has completed work for Victoria and NSW around potential case numbers, hospitalisation rates and deaths.

Groups representing frontline health workers in Queensland have expressed concern about the ability of the state’s hospitals to cope with a wave of patients amid existing capacity issues.

Ms Palaszczuk dismissed questions about whether her government had sought its own modelling, saying she would not comment until after national cabinet met on Friday. “I think that’s the appropriate place to have those discussions rather than speculate in the media.”

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