Queensland has called on its iconic cohort of seaside wardens to help residents get vaccinated in time for Christmas.
We are calling on them to save us in the surf, and now Queensland has turned to its clubs to help save Christmas.
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The Coolangatta surf clubs in Cairns were turned into pop-up vaccination clinics this weekend as part of a latest push to get Queenslanders vaccinated in time for the borders to reopen on December 17.
The state government calls it “V-Day” – the last weekend that residents can get their first dose of vaccine if they want a second dose before the state begins welcoming visitors, and a probable increase in the number of viruses.
Hundreds of cases a day are expected to be recorded once Queensland fully opens up to foreigners.
“It’s only a matter of weeks before the borders open, so there is no time to waste,” Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan said at a press conference in Caloundra.
There are 23 surf clubs set up as vaccination clinics this weekend for people to get vaccinated. He follows a strategy that has also used pop-up clinics at rugby league games, Bunnings Warehouses, and local high schools.
Each participating surf club will have qualified vaccination staff to administer the jabs.
No new cases of Covid were reported in Queensland on Saturday – whether acquired locally or quarantined at the hotel – with only 13 cases currently in the state.
The state’s vaccination rate is still approaching the 80% double-dose target set for the reopening of borders, with 63 percent of the population having had two jabs. About 77 percent of people in Queensland have received a dose.
The government noted that people who are vaccinated have an 86% lower chance of catching and transmitting the virus, and a 90% lower chance of dying from the effects of the virus.
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