Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles about vaccination rates in the Territory, and the race to get 80% vaccinated

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Katie spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles about vaccination rates in the Territory, and the race to get 80% vaccinated · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me on the line is the Health Minister Natasha Files.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Good morning to your minister.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners.
• 0:07
  Speaker 3: Minister.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Why do these numbers differ so greatly when you look
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: at the numbers that are on the Northern Territory government
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: website comparatively to those on the federal government website.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, this is something that the Commonwealth and the
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Northern Territory officials have been looking at. We, for example,
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: have thousands of people that haven't updated their Medicaid details.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: There's a number of reasons as to why we know
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: how many people we vaccinated over the chiundred and eighty
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: thousand vaccines, and Katie, we will hit that eighty percent,
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: we expect in the next few hours. And so in
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: terms of the actual data, we know the people that
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: we vaccinated, We know them in our primary parent information system,
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: and so that's the data that we're going on. We
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: don't believe that the Commonwealth data is accurate in the
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: NT context, and this was because going back a few
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: months now, their methodology changed to count those jobs based
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: on Medica their addresses, and we believe it doesn't accurately
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: reflect the amount of vaccinations delivered in the territory, and
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: we've raised that with the Commonwealth.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: I know that the opposition has obviously been at pains
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: to say that the Northern Territory government is actually counting
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: people who are maybe traveling from interstate traveling here through
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: or through the Northern Territory for work. But I guess
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: at the end of the day, this is such an
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: important number that we get to. We're so heavily reliant
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: obviously on getting to that eighty percent. So which of
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: these figures are we going to be using to determine
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: when we reached that eighty percent mark?
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: To tell you, the Commonwealth of acknowledge such their methodology
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: doesn't truly reflect the accuracy of the vaccine delivered in
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: the territory. As I said, our officials have worked and
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: discussed that. But we'll be basing on our territory data, which,
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: as we've bet today, we should hit eighty percent first dose,
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: so in the coming week we will see people receive
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: their second dose and be fully protected against this horrible disease.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: Do we have any data or do we like we
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: base our modeling obviously off the first doses and then
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: the expectation that people are going for their second dose.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: But do we have any data on whether people are
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: not returning for their second dose and could this actually
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: affect opening up our numbers.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: That's a really important point, Katie. It's so vital that
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: people get that second dose of the vaccine and be
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: fully protected. And we have our health teams work incredibly
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: hard and the fust that the church's population is so chansient.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: So I was talking to some of the health officials
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: yesterday and they've seen operating mobile teams within Zawhen touching
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: up with people that might be visiting. And they have
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: found a number who have been for example, and Man
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: and Greta got their first dose and they've been able
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: to give them their second dose, and that's floated on
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: our database. Do we know they're fully protected against COVID nineteen?
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: I know you said before that you are concerned that
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: they're people who haven't updated their medicare their addresses obviously
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: on their medicare. How do you know that there are
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: lots of people that haven't actually up their addresses.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: So we believe there's around fourteen thousand Territorians who have
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: moved here, and we can sellect data from driver's licenses.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: People buying houses, et cetera. But we know that they
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: have an updated their Medicare and it is frustrating. I
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: will acknowledge Katie going into mind of and he's into
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: those government's portals. He's got to remember logins. But it
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: is really important that people do update their Medicare address
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: because it does play an important role for the territory
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: in receiving funding from the Commonwealth and provides accurate information.
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: We also have the sense of data, Katie that shows
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: us where people are located in Australia. So that's why
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: we know that it's quite a significant number of people
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: with an incourage or not updated. I should stay in
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: medacharac dress.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: So really, for our listeners this morning, anybody out there
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: listening who's maybe thinking to themselves, well, you know, the
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: data on the federal government website seems to be much
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: lower than what the Northern Territory data is showing us.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: What you are telling us this morning is no matter
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: what the data that you're going to be relying on
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: is that that the Northern Territory government is publishing when
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: it comes to opening our borders.
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: At eighty percent, yes, Katie, we have absolute confidence in
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: our health officials. They know where they've been delivering the vaccine,
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: and they know the doses they've been delivering, and it's
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: probably an encouragement and reminder of people can find the
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: time to update their Medicare details so that they can
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: accurately reflect their current location.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: I know you and I have spoken at lengths about
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: the vaccination rates in some communities being incredibly low. There
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: is vaccine in those fridges you'd told us on the
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: show on Friday during the week that was, but some
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: just don't seem to want to get the vaccine. Are
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: these communities going to hold the rest of the Northern
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Territory back when it comes to this roadmap forward?
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: So Katie, that is what we're looking at. We have
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: protected territorians and we will keep trying our hardest. We
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: will try and keep the COVID nineteen out of the
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: Northern Territory. But this new Delta strain is so transmissible.
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: We've seen it spread from New South Wales and our
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: hearts go out to the people in Victoria. Now it's
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: spreading from metropolitan Melbourne in to regional areas. We're seeing
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: high rates of people that aren't vaccinated in hospital and
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: tragically passing away. And so, as I did say on
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: the show on Friday KD, the vaccine is readily available.
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: Our health teams, as I said, caught up with some
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: of them yesterday. They've been out there right across the territory.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: We're sending people that community trust studies a clear message
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: that they want to have the nurses that they interact
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: with or the people that they're built up I report
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: with delivering the vaccine. They are going out multiple times
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: to communities. We've got the vaccine in the fridge and
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: people do say to me, oh, but it's been developed
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: so quickly, I'm not sure I trust it that it
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: has had the brightest medical minds working on this, and
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: it is safe, and it is effective, and COVID is
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: a horrible disease KTE and this is a tool to
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: save potentially you.
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: Are, Minister.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: I know that on the front page of the paper today.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: It was obviously leading the news headlines last night as well.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: On the news the line from you is Delta is
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: on its way. That's certainly been a concern for a
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: lot of people, and by the look of it, the
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory government is certainly residing themselves to the fact
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: that at some point we are going to have Delta
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: in the community. I mean, how big a worry is
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: this though, when we look at the state of our
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: health system right now.
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: So Katie, I think it's inevitable that the virus will come.
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: It's been an absolute miracle. It's been the hard work
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: thanks to everyday territories that have kept the virus out.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: They've gone into quarantine, they haven't troubled into state. We've
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: had these short sharp lockdowns, and we have had cases
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: come into our community. But you know, at some point
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: it's inevitable that the virus will come to the territory
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: and it will be a burden if people are not vaccinated.
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: The key to being vaccinated is that the illness won't
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: be is to be won't end up needing that acute
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: hospital care. And as we've talked about many times over
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: the last few weeks, few months and few years for
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: me being health minister, we have an incredibly busy health
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: system and it would be the best tool is to
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: not have that burden by getting vaccinated.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: All right, I want to talk about the health system.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: It's something that you and I have discussed honestly, a
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: lot over the last few weeks, but yesterday we learned
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: that the federal government is making plans to bring up
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: to two thousand nurses and doctors into the country and
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: an effort to ease the issues that we're seeing with
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: our health systems across the board around the nation. The
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: Chief Minister yesterday confirmed on the show that fifteen doctors
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: will be heading to the Northern Territory. Minister, fifteen doctors
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: will no doubt help to ease some of the pressure
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: being experienced on the health system. When do you expect
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: that they're going to get started?
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, we know that there's a nationwide challenge in
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: recruiting to medical nursing and allied health conditions, and we
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: spoke about the nurses and this is fifteen doctors that
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: will come into our system. I don't have an exact timeframe,
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: but I'm happy to get that and provide that off
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: there or when I speak to you again soon. But
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: we worked closely with the Commonwealth and we keep working
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: with them so that they can understand the challenges and
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: provide what support they can. But we're also doing our
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: bit and making sure we've got an active recruitment campaign
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: particularly around those identified nursing shortages that we've got.
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: Just on those doctors.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: I mean, I know you can't give us the exact timeframe,
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: but I'm anticipating you over the next couple of weeks
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: would be when you're hoping for them. Given the fact
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: that it is for the whole of Australia, I would
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: expect that the Federal Health Minister wants them rolled out
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: sooner rather than later.
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: Essential help Medustry and myself both want them rolled out
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: as quickly as possible, but we have targeted country such
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: as the UK where the qualifications and the training can
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: be easily mapped across. We need to make sure that
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: we're bringing in high quality stuff, but they will need
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: to undertake quarantine and as you can imagine, Katie, it's
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: quite a big process relocating from overseas and it's something
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: that we do see medical staff do all the time
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: in more normal circumstances. So we'd certainly be working as
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: efficiently as we can with the Commonwealth to get them
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: here on the ground in our hospitals.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: Now. I know that you're revealed on the show last
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: week on the week that was forty nurses are set
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: to begin in the Northern Territory as well.
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: When are they going to be starting.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: The Katie, My understanding is within the next fortnight.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: Okay, so within the next fortnite. Where are they coming from?
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: Do we know yet?
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: To Katie, I don't have that specific but Health have
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: advised me that forty nurses have been recruited to and
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: are expected to begin working within the next fortnight and
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: will continue to focus on nurse recruitment, particularly in those
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: fields of psychiatry, emergency and the perioperatives, the surgical nurses
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: that are where we're really needing that expertise.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: Now, are they going to be based at the Darwin
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: and Palmerston hospitals at this stage?
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: To Katy Delby, we have six hospitals as you know,
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: across the territory and they'll be based where we need
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: fulfill those, but I imagine that the majority will go into
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: the Rod Darwen and Palmerston and it's our nursing staff
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: work across both campuses, Katie, So it's not uncommon for
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: them to have a shift, a couple of shifts at
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: Palmestan and an officift at Darwin each roster.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: Are they being provided accommodation or where are they going
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: to live?
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, when we relocate medical staff or we support them,
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: there's a range of measures. Sometimes we provide them with
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: short term hotel accommodation and then they find their own rentals.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: We do have some nursing quarters at the hospital, so
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: there's a range of mess you know, measures that we
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: can support them to get them here. So we do
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: know that housing has become a little bit of a challenge.
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: The rental market is certainly hot, and so we'll support
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: those nurses in relocating and finding them suitable accommodation. But
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: you know, there's a range of people coming and there's
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: not one simple but they're all going to go to
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: this location.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: Answer now, Minister, are there still plans afoot to bring
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: some nurses across from you know, internationally as well? Obviously
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: we spoke about those doctors and what the federal Minister
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: has plans to do when it comes to the doctors,
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: but when you talk about nurses as well, are there
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: still those plans to bring some nurses from overseas?
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: Yes, Katie, we're focused around these international nurses, particularly as
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: the borders open up and we see travel a little
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: bit more normal, particularly with commercial flights resuming. We'll work
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: closely with the Commonwealth to make sure that they've got
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: those pathways of entry into Australia so that we can
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: get them working in our medical system.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: Are you confident that these different measures are going to
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: be enough to ease the burden on our health system?
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: Cat It is not one measure that's going to suddenly
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: ease the burden. But I believe this recruitment campaign on
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: an intense focus, the age care beds, the work that
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: we're doing around infrastructure for mental health. I think all
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: of that will provide resources to our hard working health
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: staff and to provide that better care to territories when
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: they're most vulnerable and need that support.
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: Now, Minister, one of the other things that we learned
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: overnight is that there is one new case of COVID
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: recorded in the territory, an eighteen year old female from
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: Geelong who arrived on a flight from Melbourne and went
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: directly from the airport to the Center for National Resilience
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: and tested positive for COVID nineteen. Now, there were eight
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: other passengers on that flight who've been identified as close
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: contacts to begin with. Seven of those went directly into
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: quarantine and we'll obviously complete those fourteen days of quarantine.
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: But there was that remaining passenger who did not travel
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: from a declared hotspot and wasn't displaying symptoms. I understand
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: that that person was initially left out of quarantine but
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: is now in quarantine.
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: Is that the case, so, Katie, it would be concerning
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: for territories to hear that there's a case that maybe
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: should be reassured that our system works. So we had
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: a flight arrived from Melbourne. Eight passengers were on board.
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: Seven of those passengers before we became aware that one
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: of the passengers was COVID positive, all went to quarantine
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: because they'd come from a declared hot spot. The eighth
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: person had traveled from another location and just transited on
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: that flight. But CBC, the Center for Disease Control, had
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: recommended that those eight people on that flight all be
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: deemed close contacts. And so that means that eighth person
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: now is being or I believe will already be in
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: how it brings now, So no one had done anything wrong.
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: All the right processes had been followed and the system
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: had worked, and the individual that has tested positive could
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: have passed it on to those people on the plane.
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: But because we've deemed them close contacts and we have
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: did that eighth person put them into quarantine, there should
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: be a very very minimal risk to territories. And this
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: is not that we're going into a lockdown. I've had
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: that question, asked me as well.
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, so definitely no lockdown at this point. Minister.
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: Do we know if all of those people have been vaccinated.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: Katie, I don't know that detail, but what I can
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: reassure people is that all the processes were followed. This
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: person that has tested positive, we wish them a speedy recovery,
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: but they were picked up because our system worked, because
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: they went into mandatory quarantine because they'd come from a
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: hot spot and it was that routine testing that picked
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: up this case. And then we've now worked through and
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: just a very small number of people that are deemed
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: close contact.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: But so you're confident that eighth person hasn't been exposed
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: to the community or isn't going to put the territory
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: community at risk in any way.
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: So the way it works is that person has potentially
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: been exposed to the virus on that flight. Remembering that
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: the very minimal risks people are wearing masks their physical
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: distancing and so if that person has passed on the virus,
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: this eighth person has gone into Howard's frames in a
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: very quick timeframe. For there is a very very minimal
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: risk to the broader community and this shows our system work.
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: Now, we can't get through all the listener questions this morning,
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: but one that I do want to ask you very quickly.
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: It says, morning, Katie, I was just reading the government's
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: thinking of giving incentives to get the JAB. Why don't
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: I get something forgetting it months ago? It's very unfair,
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: says that text.
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: That is a great question, Katie. And that's something that
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: we've said that with incentives, if we did use incentives,
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: they would have to be retrospective exactly that we don't
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: want to suddenly put out an incentive and then make
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: it a disappointment to those people that have done the
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: right thing, that they have listened to clinical advice months
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: ago and been back. So we haven't ruled out incentives.
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: We haven't decided upon any incentives. I need to make
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: that point clear, But the Chief Minister has said if
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: there is incentive, it will be retrospective to encompass those
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: people that really have led the way and gone out
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: and got vaccinated early.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: Do we mean like a cash incentive or could it
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: be some kind of tourism or business incentive to try
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: and help us maybe, you know, move those businesses along
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: that have suffered as well throughout the COVID.
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, we haven't ruled out incentives, but there's nothing
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: specific on the table right now in terms of an
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: incentive to get vaccinated. To me, the biggest incentive is
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: saving a life, your own, your loved ones, your community
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: by being vaccinated.
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: Well health Minister Natashaphiles, We will leave it there. Thank
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: you very much for your time today.
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie,