Tasmanians have a long and proud history of rolling up their sleeves to get vaccinated, and as we’ve responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have once again heard the message and taken action to protect themselves, their loved ones and our community.
Since the beginning of what is one of the largest health logistics exercises in the country’s history, Tasmania has been leading the way, using as many of the vaccines that we’ve been supplied, and now passing two significant milestones.
During last week, a record-breaking 24,000 vaccines in a week (more than 3,400 a day) were delivered, and we also passed a total of 300,000 doses administered on Sunday, while 200,000 Tasmanians have received at least one dose. This week will also see us pass 100,000 Tasmanians fully vaccinated.
While it took 12 weeks to get to 100,000 doses, we are now working at more than double that pace, having delivered 300,000 doses in less than 22 weeks, and we are accelerating.
More than 46 per cent of eligible Tasmanians have had their first dose, compared to about 38 per cent nationally. And more than 22 per cent have had their second dose, compared to about 17 per cent nationally.
With community clinics ramping up, community pharmacies joining in, an increase in Pfizer available to GPs and vaccine supply increasing, we are confident that every eligible Tasmanian will have the chance to get vaccinated in coming months.
New major clinics will open next week in Launceston and Devonport, joining the Hobart CBD clinic in significantly boosting our capacity.
At the same time, we continue to work with GPs, roll out more clinics to remote communities, recruit more vaccinators, and will soon welcome more than 20 pharmacies to our effort.
The current outbreaks in other states are a reminder that the COVID-19 virus remains very serious and vaccination is one of our essential protections, which is why we are making every effort to speed up our delivery.
I’d again like to thank Tasmanians for helping us respond to COVID-19. There’s more work to do, and together we will continue to work to keep our community safe.
To find out whether you are eligible for a vaccine, please visit www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/vaccination-information/covid-19-vaccination/vaccine-eligibility
You can make an appointment by calling the Public Health Hotline 1800 671 738, or online at www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/vaccination-information/covid-19-vaccination/Book-your-vaccine