Brisbane news live: Free flu jabs under cloud as people ignore $25m campaign

The Age

7 days ago

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'It only does any good if it's in your arm': People ignoring free flu jabs
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The health minister has left a cloud over Queensland's free flu vaccine program, saying continued increases in flu cases and low vaccine uptake this year was 'very concerning'.
Speaking from Greenslopes yesterday, Tim Nicholls said about 90 per cent of the more than 3600 influenza hospitalisations recorded this year were for people who had not received a vaccine.
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About 6.13 million Queenslanders have been vaccinated for influenza since March, about 34,000 fewer than 2024 – and more than 400,000 fewer than three years ago – with Queensland Health reporting at the same time a 16 per cent increase in case numbers from the same time last year.
'We've made public announcements about [the free vaccine program], it runs on our public health messages, it runs on social media … it's been a very substantial news story,' Nicholls said.
'There really is no reason why someone is not aware that there is a free flu vaccine available … there is no reason not to get the free flu vaccine – it does no good in a bottle, it only does any good if it's in your arm.'
Nicholls said the state was 'always happy' to review the $25 million vaccination campaign, but said he would wait until the end of flu season.
'It's not too late to get the free flu vaccine, it is available, [and] the investment has been made in it.'
7.30am
Albanese dismisses suggestion that Xi meeting should be explained to Trump
By Paul Sakkal
Anthony Albanese has dismissed a suggestion that his ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, should explain to the Trump administration the prime minister's intimate meeting with Xi Jinping, details of which were revealed in this masthead.
Host of the ABC's 7.30 program Sarah Ferguson spent the first portion of her interview with Albanese on Monday night asking about last week's lunch in Beijing.
This masthead reported on Monday the pair discussed their upbringing and global outlook in a humour-filled discussion the Australian prime minister said had fostered 'an element of trust'.
Asked if US officials had raised any questions about closer relations between Albanese and China's paramount leader, Albanese said 'No'.
Here's a section of the exchange:
Ferguson: 'Can I come back to that question of trust? Because I do think it's an unusual word that you've used, and I want to know what you think that that word means, apart from having a slightly advanced, developed relationship with him. Would he, for example, take a phone call from you in the event of a crisis blowing up over Taiwan to discourage him from invading or blockading Taiwan?'
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Albanese: 'Well, that's a hypothetical which I'm not going to go into. But I have said before that anything that he has said to me has been fulfilled. There hasn't been any breaches of personal commitments that he has given to me. That doesn't mean he's agreed with everything that I've put forward – far from it. But I'd rather that than someone on an international level saying, 'Yep, we can do all that', and then doing the opposite.'
Ferguson: 'So you trust him that, when he says something, he's going to keep his word?'
Albanese: 'I have no reason to point to any breach that has occurred up to this point.'
Ferguson: 'That's about the past, what about the future?'
Albanese: 'Well, all I can do is talk about the past. I can just talk about facts rather than going forward – we don't know what it will bring. We know there are significant differences. China and Australia have different political systems. We have different values. We have our alliance with the United States which is very important.'
7.21am
'It only does any good if it's in your arm': People ignoring free flu jabs
By Catherine Strohfeldt
The health minister has left a cloud over Queensland's free flu vaccine program, saying continued increases in flu cases and low vaccine uptake this year was 'very concerning'.
Speaking from Greenslopes yesterday, Tim Nicholls said about 90 per cent of the more than 3600 influenza hospitalisations recorded this year were for people who had not received a vaccine.
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About 6.13 million Queenslanders have been vaccinated for influenza since March, about 34,000 fewer than 2024 – and more than 400,000 fewer than three years ago – with Queensland Health reporting at the same time a 16 per cent increase in case numbers from the same time last year.
'We've made public announcements about [the free vaccine program], it runs on our public health messages, it runs on social media … it's been a very substantial news story,' Nicholls said.
'There really is no reason why someone is not aware that there is a free flu vaccine available … there is no reason not to get the free flu vaccine – it does no good in a bottle, it only does any good if it's in your arm.'
Nicholls said the state was 'always happy' to review the $25 million vaccination campaign, but said he would wait until the end of flu season.
'It's not too late to get the free flu vaccine, it is available, [and] the investment has been made in it.'
7.16am
A hazy shade of winter
The forecast for Brisbane today spells a cool day with a chance of a shower or two.
A top temperature of 22 degrees is expected, with much the same for the rest of the week. But while today is about a 50-50 chance of rain, tomorrow is almost guaranteed to be wet.
Here's how the week ahead is looking:
7.14am
While you were sleeping
Here's what's making news further afield this morning:
Voters are lukewarm to any surprise reforms from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, clearly oppose change to the GST and want the Coalition to work more closely with the government to reach consensus on new policies rather than oppose them outright, a survey has revealed.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has assured her colleagues the Liberal Party can only improve on its disastrous showing at the May federal election.
The Greens co-founder booted from the party at the weekend has hit back, accusing the organisation of becoming 'too weird and unlikeable' and urging the federal leader to intervene.
Justin Flowers has $300,000 in the bank and he can't get a home loan. The 52-year-old, who runs his own graphic design business, had bought and sold a few properties, upsizing to accommodate his family of four. But he divorced, and he is now single and renting without hope he can repurchase.
As her newspaper prepared to publish details of a bawdy birthday card Donald Trump allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein, Emma Tucker's phone rang. The British editor then stood her ground in face of a furious US president.
And political and international editor Peter Hartcher writes that Trump's original White House strategist Steve Bannon still insists the 'deep state' runs the world. And while Bannon has many questions, he has few answers.
7.03am
The top stories this morning
Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times' live news coverage for Tuesday, July 22. Today should be cloudy, with a top temperature of 22 degrees.
In this morning's local headlines:
Complications with a 'once in a generation' under-river infrastructure project are forcing officials to dump millions of litres of raw sewage and stormwater directly into the Brisbane River.
A man has been jailed after a Queensland grandmother was killed and her daughter seriously injured when the stolen car he was driving crashed into theirs car at high speed and he fled.
A banned e-scooter and e-bike company has returned to Brisbane streets – but not as you might expect, as the global micromobility hire company merges with one of its key competitors.
Queensland authorities say they will investigate multiple reported crocodile sightings on the Sunshine Coast, hundreds of kilometres south of Queensland's 'croc country'.
Fresh off his maiden starting appearance in Wallabies colours in defeat to the British and Irish Lions, Tom Lynagh will brace for a future in which he is pitted against his brother in an international club clash.