Like many health professionals during the pandemic, Goondiwindi pharmacist Lucy Walker has heard it all when it comes to myths and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
Key points:
- Goondiwindi has Queensland's highest COVID vaccination rate, with nearly 80 per cent of residents fully vaccinated
- Local leaders say the success is due to more than six months worth of promotion
- Health officials say Queenslanders should "aspire to" be like people from Goondiwindi
"There's always one or two people that will come into the pharmacy and ask me questions that I think, 'Jeepers, where did they get that belief from?'," Ms Walker said.
But unlike other regions in Queensland, misinformation has had little effect on vaccination rates in the town of 6,000 people.
Goondiwindi on the Queensland-New South Wales border has the highest vaccination rate per capita in the state, with 79.8 per cent of people aged 15 years and above in the region fully vaccinated, while 89.6 per cent have had their first dose.
It compares to 60.4 per cent and 74.8 per cent of eligible Queenslanders respectively.
The man in charge of Queensland's COVID-19 vaccination rollout, acting Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy, this week warned several regional areas were still "lagging behind" and were set to miss targets set by the state government.
Embracing community spirit
Local butcher Tony Gibson was vaccinated at the town's first clinic at the Goondiwindi Hospital in June.
"We've got a lot of visitors coming into our stores and a lot of travellers," he said.
"I just thought it's very important that I get myself and all my staff vaccinated to be on the extra-safe side."
Mr Gibson thinks the town's "community spirit", as well as its proximity to the New South Wales border, explains its success.
"Everybody just knows everybody and got talking to everybody [about the vaccine]," he said.
"I think a lot of people do communicate about it and ask different people if they are vaccinated, or if they're not, they ask the reasons why."
'This isn't rocket science'
Local leaders are confident residents will continue to roll up their sleeves.
The town is tipped to have more than 90 per cent of its residents vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine sometime this week.
Goondiwindi Mayor Lawrence Springborg said the results were due to months of work by local leaders and health professionals promoting the benefits of vaccination.
"This isn't rocket science … we as the council have very much been talking about the importance of vaccination now for almost six months," Cr Springborg said.
"We've been on the front foot in regard to this all the way along. We've encouraged an extraordinary amount of confidence in our community."
Setting an example
Health officials have also praised residents for their efforts and said the support from the community had been appreciated by staff on the ground.
"Thank you to the people of Goondiwindi Regional Council area for … providing a great example for all Queenslanders to aspire to," a Darling Downs Health spokesperson said.
Lucy Walker said she felt relieved now, due to the region's high vaccination rate, compared to when the pandemic started.
"I think I was more scared when COVID-19 first came to town, and there wasn't a vaccine available," she said.
"But as there's been a vaccine available now, and that we've got the larger vaccination rates, I feel much more comfortable."
Ms Walker said she believed the tight-knit nature of the community would continue to combat fear and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
"We've got a strong social structure and so people get their advice from the people they trust, rather than going to social media to get their health advice."
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