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Lines at the Queensland government’s second largest COVID vaccination hub at the Logan Entertainment Centre on Thursday,which is currently administering about 1500 doses a day.Credit:Matt Dennien

“We have this magical window here at the moment,Queensland,to go and get vaccinated,” Ms Palaszczuk said as she reported no new cases of the virus in the state on theeve of an early easing of restrictions,amid another day ofrecord cases in NSW and growing clusters in the ACT and Melbourne.

“As soon as we get more supply from the Commonwealth,we will put those supplies into the arms of Queenslanders.”

The Logan and Beaudesert area remains among the lowest vaccinated in Queensland with only 18 per cent of the population 15 and older fully vaccinated as of Sunday’s Operation COVID Shield regional update.

Mackay,Isaac and Whitsunday,along with central Queensland,also sit below 20 per cent with only outback Western Australia and far-west NSW. A total of 276,000 doses were delivered across the state in seven days to Wednesday,behind only NSW (698,000) and Victoria (399,000).

On Thursday,Ms Palaszczuk said 24-hour hubs were not being considered but school halls,community centres and mobile vans were being looked at for the next stages of the state’s vaccination efforts.

Hubs delivering AstraZeneca doses to those under 60 – in place in NSW and Victoria –have been ruled out by Queensland authorities,who are leaving its delivery to GPs and pharmacies.

Butrecent situations in the southern states have spurred the government into action.

“We’ve seen in parts of Melbourne and of course western Sydney,where there have been slow uptakes from our multicultural communities getting vaccinated,” Ms Palaszczuk said. “We’re going to make sure that definitely doesn’t happen here in Queensland.”

“We’ve got to be prepared”:Samoan community leader John Pale.Credit:Matt Dennien

After Thursday’s media briefing,leaders from nine communities lined up to deliver messages supporting vaccination for packaging and delivery via social media,in an effort to further boost the work being done by local health units and cultural groups.

One,John Pale,a senior member of the Samoan community,said any additional work by officials to reach people and encourage them to get vaccinated was welcome to counter hesitancy and misinformation as there was “no perfection in any community”.

Of the 18.2 per cent of households where a language other than English was spoken at the time of the 2016 Census,compared to 13.5 per cent Queensland-wide,the Logan local government area was home to almost one-tenth of all Samoan speakers in the country.

Many in his community have also made their way to Australia via New Zealand – listed as the country of birth of 7.7 per cent of the LGA’s population,a group which makes up more than 10 per cent of New Zealand-born people living in Queensland.

“For the sake of the family,and the community,and for your own sake ... it’s better to do something than to do nothing,” Mr Pale said. “We’ve got to be prepared.”

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has warned any breach of the border or Delta strain case in the communitywould trigger another lockdown until the state reached full vaccination levels of at least 70 per cent.

From 1am Saturday,essential workers crossing the southern border with NSW are required to show proof of at least one vaccine dose,with efforts under way tofurther tighten the definition and reduce travel from the locked-down side of the border community.

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