Professor Nigel McMillan.
Griffith University infectious diseases professor Nigel McMillan said authorities should consider areas such as Goondiwindi,which previously had high rates for vaccination.
“Goondiwindi had a really high vaccination rate,they led the way in terms of double vaccination rate ... but that seemed to be a community-led effort,” he said.
“To me,the most problematic vaccine statistic is 12 per cent double dosed for the five to 15[age group] – that’s just one of the reasons we’re having this surge now.
“What we’re seeing now in the last week is a doubling in our hospitalisation numbers from a few weeks ago.”
Last week,one in 50 children were testing positive to COVID-19 amid Queensland’s second wave of the Omicron variant of coronavirus,while hospitals,down more than 3200 staff due to the virus,face an influx of COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile,Queensland Health has called for participants for a COVID-19 vaccine immune response study to better understand their short and long-term effects.
Queensland Health said the study,run by health and university researchers,would include understanding how and why people’s immune systems respond differently to COVID-19 vaccines in a Queensland context.