First Far Northerners receive the COVID-19 vaccine

Far North Queensland’s COVID-19 Vaccination roll-out has begun with frontline staff at Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) amongst the first people in regional Queensland to roll up their sleeves.

Up to 100 people are expected to be given the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Friday as the Cairns Hospital vaccination hub opens.

Frontline medical workers from the Mossman Hospital, are included in the Cairns health service and will also be eligible to be vaccinated at the Cairns hub during the first phase of vaccinations.

Vaccinations will be rolled out in a number of phases with people such as quarantine, border workers and front-line health workers, first in line to receive the vaccine at one of six major hospital vaccination hubs.

Hubs are located at the Gold Coast University Hospital, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Townsville University Hospital, and Cairns Hospital, while delivery for residential disability and aged care facilities will be managed by the Federal Government.

CHHHS Executive Director Medical Services Dr Don Mackie said he was excited to be the first regional Pfizer hub to receive the vaccines.

“We are planning to vaccinate up to 100 people on our first day and we intend to have many more vaccinated within three weeks,” Dr Mackie said.

“These workers are the ones most at risk of exposure to COVID-19 in their day-to-day jobs, so it is critical we vaccinate them first.”

First Far Northerners to roll up their sleeves

Cairns Hospital infectious disease physician Dr Simon Smith was the first person in the Far North to receive the injection this morning.

“My colleagues and I have been treating the majority of COVID-19 patients over the last year and to see this vaccine arrive is a remarkable achievement for science,” he said.

“To think that within one year we have multiple safe and effective vaccines available in Cairns, is an outstanding achievement for everyone involved.”

Next in line to receive her jab was Valerie Nancarrow, who works as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander liaison officer in the COVID-19 ward at Cairns Hospital.

“I am so fortunate to have been offered the vaccine in the very first phase,” she said.

“As I suffer from a chronic heart condition, I feel that by having the COVID-19 vaccine, I’m not only protecting myself but my patients and most of all my family.

“The vaccination will also allow me to safely visit my mother who lives in an aged care facility.”

Border screening clinical nurse consultant, Tania Cahill, has spent much of the pandemic on the frontline at the international airport.

“As a registered nurse in the border screening team we are placed at increased risk for COVID-19,” said Ms Cahill.

“By staying healthy and preventing any acute respiratory syndrome, I can continue to support the health service and care for our community.

“I encourage everyone to embrace the opportunity for COVID-19 vaccination.”

These frontline workers will receive their second booster shot in three weeks time before further groups of people are vaccinated in the planned, staged approach as further vaccine stocks are received.

The roll-out

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 and will be administered at the vaccination hubs as the Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at -70 degrees.

A Queensland Health spokesperson said as larger supplies of AstraZeneca vaccine become available, expected from mid to late March, the vaccination program will be progressively expanded across Queensland.