COVID vaccine bookings surge after NT government mandate announcement, but policy still faces some resistance
By Myles Houlbrook-WalkBookings for the COVID-19 vaccine in the Northern Territory have surged since the NT government announced one of Australia's widest-ranging vaccination mandates for workers last week, according to new figures.
Key points:
- The NT government's vaccination mandate requires workers in public-facing roles to be fully vaccinated by December 24
- Government data shows vaccine bookings surged in the 24 hours following the announcement
- However, the policy still faces some resistance, with a protest against it drawing hundreds of people on Saturday
On Wednesday, NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner issued a legal direction requiring workers in a broad range of settings to receive both vaccinations by December 24, or face being denied entry to their workplaces or a $5,000 fine.
Although specific industries were not identified, it's understood the direction would cover many roles in retail, education, hair and beauty, the public service and hospitality, among others.
Mr Gunner also said it applied to any worker whose job included "interacting with members of the public".
According to NT government data provided to the ABC, the policy had an immediate effect on vaccination bookings.
In the day before the mandate was issued, the data shows there were 742 bookings at vaccination clinics across the NT.
In the 24 hours that followed, those bookings jumped to 2,243 — a 303 per cent increase.
NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the figures showed the government's policy was having an impact.
"These vaccine booking numbers are very welcome because we know the vaccine is the best defence to this virus," she said.
"This is evidence that our policy is already working."
One resident who had held off on getting vaccinated but made their booking in the wake of the announcement was Kimi Ford, a baggage handler at the Darwin International Airport, who was in line to receive his first dose at the Darwin COVID-19 Vaccination Centre in Marrara on Saturday.
"We've got no choice anyway. It's the only way to keep your job," he said.
"On top of that, it's the only way you can travel."
Mr Ford said he also had family members who had not yet been vaccinated, but he believed they would opt to do it instead of losing their job or getting a fine.
"I've got family that haven't done it yet, but I'm pretty sure they won't want to go through that," he said.
"There's no other choice, you got to go and [get] your jab."
Higher take-up influenced by several factors
Robyn Cahill is the chief executive of the Palmerston GP Super Clinic, located about 20 kilometres outside of Darwin.
She said at the clinic, which is allocated 720 doses of the Pfizer vaccine a week, demand had slowed before the mandate.
"About two and a half weeks ago we noticed a substantial drop in our appointments, [and] we were only using about 25 per cent of our available appointments," she said.
"Within the hour of the announcement being made about mandated vaccines, we were pretty well back up to about 100 per cent of our capacity."
Ms Cahill said a lot of people now booking appointments for their first dose had been influenced by the mandate and the risk of losing their jobs, but there were also other factors at play.
"There's a large group of people who really just didn't see the urgency of getting vaccinated, but with the mandate of the vaccine for people to work, they now realise the time to get vaccinated is now," she said.
Medical exemptions also requested
However, Ms Cahill said it wasn't just vaccines that people had been seeking at the clinic.
"We've had some people asking for medical exemptions," she said.
"Simply coming in and saying, 'I need an exemption because if I don't have my vaccine I'm going to lose my job' is not a valid request for an exemption."
Palmerston GP Super Clinic doctor John Azer said he wanted Territorians to get vaccinated before COVID-19 got into the community.
"We're always one step behind," he said.
"We always find out there is a case somewhere and always have to work backwards."
Hundreds turn out to protest against policy
Despite the recent surge in bookings, there is still some resistance to the vaccine in some sections of the NT community.
On Saturday, hundreds of people marched through the Darwin CBD before gathering outside Parliament House to protest against the government's mandatory vaccine policy and other COVID-19 restrictions.
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