Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Health
Tasmania has passed a significant milestone in its COVID-19 vaccination roll out, with 50 per cent of those aged 16 years and above now fully vaccinated.
As at September 14, 49.9 per cent of Tasmanians 16 and over had received two doses and 68.5 per cent had received one dose, and with thousands more vaccinated today, we will have now surpassed 50 per cent fully vaccinated.
Only Tasmania and the ACT have passed this mark, and we are continuing to track well compared to most of the country.
For Tasmanians aged over 50 years, nearly 84 per cent have had a first dose with almost 65 per cent having had a second dose.
The Tasmanian Government's Super Six vaccination blitz has now administered more than 150,000 vaccinations since starting one month ago, hitting record pace thanks to the continued expansion of state-run community clinics and primary care settings.
It follows a huge weekend of vaccinations, with 1,400 people receiving a vaccination at Burnie's Arts and Function Centre and 1,000 people rolling up their sleeves on Sunday at the opening of a new clinic at Hobart's PW1.
This week the vaccination program has ramped up further for younger Tasmanians as the rollout continued in schools and colleges in the North and North-West of the State, and young people aged 12 to 15 became eligible for vaccination.
The pace is set to continue over the weeks ahead with a Super Clinic at Launceston's Door of Hope next weekend and pop-up clinics in Campbell Town, the West Coast, Sorell, and Rokeby over the next two weeks.
From next week, pharmacies will also start administering the Moderna vaccine to people aged 12 to 59, providing Tasmanians with another option to get vaccinated in their local community.
Vaccination remains one of the best ways to protect yourself, your loved ones and the community, and it's fantastic to hit this milestone today.
We have thousands of people already booked into our system in the weeks ahead, but we still have some appointments available across the state.
Thank you to those Tasmanians who have rolled up their sleeves and been vaccinated, and to those who have booked in. A big thank you also to the many nurses, administration staff, pharmacists, public health specialists, doctors, paramedics and other health staff who we continue to rely on to ensure our vaccination effort runs smoothly.
If you haven't been vaccinated yet, I would encourage you to join the thousands of other Tasmanians and book an appointment now: Don't wait. Vaccinate.
You can make an appointment by calling the Public Health Hotline 1800 671 738, or online at www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/vaccination-information/covid-19-vaccination/Book-your-vaccine
