Staff of Parliament and government officials turned up to the COVID-19 vaccination clinic set up at Parliament House today to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.
The staff who were present had the opportunity to choose between the Johnson and Johnson vaccine or AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Speaker of Parliament Job Pomat and several staff from the Speaker’s office also received the COVID-19 vaccination.
Mr Pomat said he opted for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, and he would like to see more people come forward to be vaccinated. He stressed that the staff are not forced to be vaccinated but emphasized that vaccination is an individual’s choice.
The Speaker openly stated that in March, he contracted the COVID-19 virus. Recalling the experience, Mr Pomat said, the virus ‘is real’, adding that he has observed the effects of the virus for weeks and today decided that it was time for him to be vaccinated.
He believes as a leader, it is an important step to take to ensure others are always following strict COVID-19 protective measures and vaccinated against the virus.
On 28 September, the Doherty Institute in Melbourne reported 67 cases of the COVID-19 delta strand. Deputy Controller of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Esorom Daoni said so far, only 7 percent of the eligible population of 185,605 are vaccinated, leaving the other 97 percent at risk.