COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:08): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Minister, can you please update the council on the progress of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in South Australia?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:08): I thank the honourable member for his question. I am pleased to inform the council that as of yesterday, 30 November, more than 2.5 million vaccines have been administered here in South Australia. That also marked another milestone in our progress on the road map. Yesterday, we surpassed the 80 per cent double dose vaccination milestone in South Australia for people aged 12 and over.

I just want to differentiate the milestones. The South Australian road map I think, as far as I know, is a distinctive element compared with other states and territories. Our 80 per cent milestone is based on 16 and above. Our 90 per cent milestone is based on 12 and above. In the period between the release of the national road map and the state road map, the decision was made to make vaccines available for 12 plus. We, of course, want to keep every South Australian safe and so our 90 per cent milestone is based on 12 and above. As we push on to that milestone it was great to pass 80 per cent double dose for 12 and over yesterday.

Despite the positive statewide situation, we continue to have areas where we are keen to deal with a lower uptake, and yesterday the Marshall Liberal government opened South Australia's first drive-through vaccination clinic at the SA Produce Market at Pooraka. This will allow South Australians to access the life-saving COVID-19 vaccine without even leaving their car.

The Pooraka site is located only a few minutes from Main North Road, the major traffic junction that connects Adelaide's north to the CBD. More than 80,000 vehicles travel through the Main North Road/Kings Road/McIntyre Road intersection on an average day, with Port Wakefield Road seeing close to 9,000 vehicles a day. This clearly makes the produce market an excellent location for the state's first drive-through vaccination clinic.

Vaccination drive-through clinics have operated successfully interstate, particularly in New South Wales and Victoria. We hope that in South Australia they will be a convenient and accessible option. I suspect they will be particularly appreciated by families, people with disabilities and people with mobility issues. Members of the council will recall that the government opened Australia's first, and only the world's second, drive-through testing clinic at the Repat in March last year.

The safe and effective rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine program is a key priority for the Marshall Liberal government, in partnership with the commonwealth. The Pooraka drive-through clinic is part of around 50 vaccination clinics being run by SA Health and the hundreds of GPs and pharmacies who are administering the vaccine as part of the national rollout.

In addition, we have the AMI Mobivax vans, which have had some great days recently. One van was at Tea Tree Plaza and administered 144 doses. Another one at the Salisbury Hub marquee had, in its first week of operation, more than 80 doses of the vaccine, on average, per day. Regional mobile and pop-up clinics in the past week have included Brinkworth, Snowtown, Melrose, Narungga Community Health Centre at Maitland, Minlaton, Port Germein, Whyalla, Gladstone and Port Augusta.

On 23 November, South Australia opened its borders to vaccinated travellers as the first milestone on our pathway to open borders and ease restrictions. There has never been a more important time to roll up your sleeve and get vaccinated.