Children 12 and over next in line to get COVID-19 jab

All children aged 12-16 will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination from Monday.

Townsville Hospital and Health Service COVID-19 vaccination lead and executive director of nursing and midwifery Judy Morton said access to the vaccine for this age group represented the next steps in the fight against COVID-19.

“Currently 52.5 per cent of Townsville’s eligible population has received the first dose of the vaccine,” she said.

“This figure is set to rise with this new cohort of people able to access the Pfizer vaccine at our vaccination centre at Woodman Court, West End.

“If you are a parent who has received their vaccination, it’s now time to support your children in accessing the vaccination.

“If you haven’t had a chance to get yours yet, then make it a family event.”

Ms Morton said having your child vaccinated against COVID-19 meant you were protecting them from getting seriously ill if infected with the virus.

“If your children are vaccinated, they are also less likely to transmit the virus to other family members,” she said.

“The decision to vaccinate your children should be an easy one and I encourage parents to make this a priority.”

Parents can book an appointment for their children by visiting https://www.vaccinebookings.health.qld.gov.au/

Ms Morton said days of operation at the Townsville Community Vaccination Centre would also change this week.

“From this weekend, we will cease operation on Saturdays and instead operate on Sundays from 8:30am – 3:30pm,” she said.

“We know Saturday’s are still quite a busy day for many families with children’s sports and activities and further to that, we know many people do work on Saturdays.

“Opening the centre on Sunday simply means there is more flexibility for people to receive their vaccination at a day and time that suits them.”