North West Hospital and Health Service say people need to make an informed decision as the North West rollout begins remote access on Monday.
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The plan to rollout vaccines suffered a blow after federal government health advice for people under 50 to use the Pfizer vaccine after testing found four to six cases of blood clots per million AstraZeneca vaccine doses.
NWHHS CEO Dr Karen Murphy said the decision impacted their rollout plans which were based on the AstraZeneca vaccine but their priority remained keeping staff and residents as safe as possible.
"At this stage it is advice only, the risk is there but it is very rare," Dr Murphy said.
Dr Murphy said this remained patient choice and their job was to give them clear information to make the best informed decision.
"What we'll do is exactly what we do at every single thing we work at and that is discuss with the patients the risks versus the benefits of having the vaccination, discuss with the patients whether at this stage they are ready and it is appropriate for them to have this vaccine and support patients by vaccinating them if they choose," she said.
"So for instance, you might be 40 but if you have an underlying disease or are travelling around Brisbane and New South Wales a lot, the risks and benefits are yours."
The NWHHS does not currently have access to Pfizer vaccines so if anyone does feel the risk of taking AstraZeneca is too great, then there could be a considerable wait time.
"The Pfizer vaccine hubs are oversubscribed because the vaccine is difficult to manage," Dr Murphy said.
"And knowing where we (NWHHS) are and the difficulty of travel and transport, how difficult it would be to transport something that has to be stored at minus 70 degrees."
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has since flagged the possibility of moving the Pfizer without the need for extreme temperature controls and Dr Murphy is optimistic that there will be other vaccines approved in the coming months.
"But at this month in time the access to vaccines in the North West is the AstraZeneca," she said.
The rollout has been in place in the North West for the last four weeks since the vaccine hub opened at the hospital with vaccines also available at Gidgee Healing and Mount Isa Medical Centre.
Dr Murphy said they had completed the vaccination of the 1a group of essential workers and they were now moving on to other groups.
"The next step to start our outreach program (this) week starting at Burketown to offer residents and staff their vaccine," she said.
"We will do all our communities in time, we are encouraging people who want the vaccination to go to our clinics and we can have that conversation with them."
Outreach clinics:
Burketown Council Community Centre April 13-15
Mornington Island Gidgee Healing Community Health Centre April 19-23
Doomadgee PCYC April 26-30
Normanton Shire Hall May 3-7
Karumba Civic Centre May 10-14
Dajarra Town Hall May 17-18
Camooweal Primary Health Clinic May 20-21
Julia Creek McKinlay MPHS May 25-28
McKinlay McKinlay primary health clinic June 1
Non NWHHS clinics
Cloncurry Ramsay St Medical Centre April 12
Urandangi, Gregory, Adels Grove, RFDS, Dates to be advised
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
