Northpharm Weipa Pharmacy pharmacist-in-charge Jamie Sutton. Photo: Supplied.
The man behind Weipa’s only pharmacy has urged residents and the wider Cape community to take advantage of free flu vaccinations as dry season tourism ramps up.
Some children can even avoid the jab altogether thanks to a newly available needle-free nasal spray flu vaccine for eligible kids aged between 2 and 5.
Jamie Sutton, pharmacist-in-charge of Northpharm Weipa Pharmacy, said he was pleased to see more people being vaccinated for influenza, which could prove fatal in severe cases.
A total of 66 people had received vaccinations at the pharmacy as of Wednesday (13 May), compared to 26 at the same time last year.
It comes as a new and highly contagious strain known as ‘Super K’ has been circulating in Queensland.
More than 280 people died of the flu and more than 9100 people were hospitalised in the state last year, according to Queensland Health data.
The vast majority (about 80 per cent) of those recorded as coming down with the flu – more than 95,500 people – were not vaccinated.
The state has been running the Free Flu Vaccination Program to boost immunity ahead of peak flu season and the Weipa pharmacy is taking part. Anyone aged six months and older can receive their annual shot free until 30 September.
Mr Sutton said it was particularly important to get vaccinated in Weipa.
“The dominant flu strain changes every year. And Weipa has a really transient population,” he said.
“Oh mate, there’s always something [going on in town]. Whether it’s the Fishing Classic, or the Rodeo, or the big Pig Hunt, or the Running Festival.
“Whenever you get people sort of coming in from all over the place and staying in Weipa for any length of time, they bring with them germs and bugs from other parts of the state, country and the world. So it’s important that we sort of stay on top of the latest and greatest variant of the flu that’s getting around and we vaccinate against that.
“We’re busy every day with the vaccinations. From the littlies right through to the oldies.”
Mr Sutton said the flu vaccination protected the immunocompromised and “pockets of the population that are quite vulnerable”.
“There’s a lot of people who have had kidney transplants [living locally],” he said.
First Nations Australians are at heightened risk of worse outcomes from acute respiratory diseases, including bad cases of the flu, and almost one in five Weipa residents identified as Indigenous at the last Census.
The town draws quite a lot of visitors for events such as the Weipa Fishing Classic. Photo: Cape York Weekly/Lyndon Keane.
When it comes to vaccinating younger members of the community, Mr Sutton said the FluMist nasal vaccine took some of the stress out of the experience.
“No such thing as a drama-free immunisation with a four-year-old,” he laughed.
The pharmacy boss, who took on the job in August last year, said he enjoyed being a “problem solver” at work and helping customers in Weipa.
Mr Sutton said it seemed “there’s two kinds of people” in town – “those that have stayed for three months and those that have stayed for 30 years”.
“It can be a bit of a shock coming to a little town like Weipa. But the town has been really good, the people have been really friendly and embracing,” he said.
“We don’t get many idiots like you do in a big town. I think the people here realise that we’re needed and appreciated and that sort of stuff.
“But it goes both ways, the people here make working here a pleasure.”
Northpharm Weipa Pharmacy is at Shop 4 in the Heritage Shopping Centre, Nanum. Visit the store or phone the team on 07 4069 7412 to book a free flu shot or other appointment.
