Update to Queensland's vaccine rollout following latest advice

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Following advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommending that anyone under 60 receive the Pfizer vaccine, Queensland has expanded its vaccine rollout program eligibility.

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said Queenslanders aged between 50-59 are now able to register their interest to receive the vaccine at a Pfizer Queensland Health vaccination location.

“We’re following the Commonwealth Government advice and expanding Pfizer vaccine eligibility to the 50-59 cohort from today,” Dr Young said.

“However, the advice has not changed for those people who have already received their first AstraZeneca dose.

“If you are aged 50-59 and have already received your first dose of AstraZeneca with no severe adverse events, you should continue to receive your second AstraZeneca dose.

“To get the full benefit of the vaccine, you need two doses and the current TGA advice continues to be to get two doses of the same vaccine brand – you cannot switch to Pfizer for your second dose.

“When you arrive at your vaccination appointment, you will be asked if you’ve already received the first dose of the vaccine and what brand. All vaccinations are recorded in the Australian Immunisation Register.

“If you are aged between 50-59 and have already booked to receive your first AstraZeneca vaccine at your local health provider, you are now eligible to receive a Pfizer vaccination.

“We are currently encouraging frontline workers in Phase 1a and 1b, including aged care and disability care workers, anyone aged 40-59, and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people aged 16-59 to register their interest in getting vaccinated,” she said.

Queensland Health currently has more than 60 Pfizer vaccination locations operating across the state, with more sites set to come online in the coming weeks and months.

“Our end goal is to vaccinate as many Queenslanders as possible in every corner of the state,” Dr Young said.

“In the past 24 hours, we’ve administered more than 14,000 vaccine doses, which is an incredible effort. Overall, Queensland Health has administered more than 406,000 vaccinations to date.

“This week, we’ve opened two new Pfizer community vaccination locations in Brisbane at Kippa-Ring and Capalaba. These are in addition to existing sites such as Doomben Racecourse, Rocklea Showgrounds and Springfield Tower,” she said.

Bookings are preferred at Queensland Health’s community vaccination locations and will take priority. Any walk ins, especially to South East Queensland locations, can expect extended wait times. Some vaccination sites do not allow walk-ins due to being fully booked.

“Particularly in South East Queensland, I strongly encourage people to register their interest and wait for their invitation to book an appointment. In some locations, any walk-ins will be turned away," Dr Young said.

“With the expansion of the age group eligibility, we expect high demand at our community vaccination sites over the coming days. Registering your interest is the fastest way to make an appointment.

“I thank Queenslanders for their patience – any Queenslander who wants to be vaccinated, will be vaccinated in due course.

“Thank you to all those Queenslanders who have come forward to get vaccinated so far – vaccination is our best chance of beating this pandemic.

“Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against the impacts of COVID-19, including serious illness or death from the virus.”

To register your interest, visit www.health.qld.gov.au/vaccinebookings

Once registered, you will be sent an invitation to book an appointment in your local area when an appointment becomes available. Dependent on your priority status and demand in your region, you may receive an invitation to book within 24 hours or it may take several days or weeks to receive your invitation.

You need to receive a link via email to enable you to book an appointment.

Wait times to secure an appointment for registered Queenslanders fluctuates daily across locations and is highly dependent on demand for bookings at any given time.

People should bring the following along to their appointment:

  • Booking confirmation
  • Vaccination Record Card (if they have received their first vaccine dose)
  • Medicare card
  • Photo ID or employee ID (if relevant, for example for an aged care or disability care worker)
  • Information about any medical conditions they have or medications they are taking
  • Information about any vaccines they’ve had in the past 14 days or any previous COVID-19 vaccines they have had including the brand and date it was administered

If you are aged 60 or over there are a number of ways you can book an appointment to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

  • General Practitioner-led respiratory clinics
  • Selected General Practices
  • Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Services
  • Community pharmacies (where available)

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