Sitting in the waiting room of her local walk-in vaccination clinic, Leila Cobbr is anxious as COVID-19 cases surge in surrounding towns and cities.
"I just don't feel safe going anywhere without my shot," Ms Cobbr said.
Ms Cobbr is undergoing chemotherapy and lives in Cherbourg, 250 kilometres north-west of Brisbane.
The Aboriginal community is the closest to the state capital, and just under 60 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated, according to federal government figures.
Emergency preparations underway
The Local Disaster Management Group recently met to make emergency preparations for an outbreak.
"We are exposed to major cities, major populations, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, and Brisbane, so it's inevitable we're going to be impacted in a way that's significant," Cherbourg elder Sam Murray said.
Homes to allow COVID positive people to quarantine away from family are in short supply.
"In Cherbourg, we've got the overcrowding issue, so for the bigger families we need to have those quarantine places," Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council chief executive Chatur Zala said.
Premises are being found within the community, and residents will be sent to hotels in surrounding towns for quarantine if needed.
The council is also stockpiling food supplies for families put into isolation.
"They would be out of food, medicine, nappies and baby powder, so food is going to be important for them to survive for those days," Mr Chatur said.
Vaccination demand surging
According to federal government figures, Cherbourg has been lagging in vaccinations with only 58 per cent of residents over 16 years of age double dosed.
Darling Downs Health officials say that rate is likely higher due to inaccurate Medicare details of some residents.
Even so, Darling Downs Health COVID response leader Michelle Forrest said rates were substantially lower than the statewide average of 85 per cent fully vaccinated, and of concern.
The health service has seen a four-fold increase in the number of people attending its walk-in vaccination clinic at Cherbourg Hospital in the past week.
"We're averaging about 30 vaccinations per clinic, and this Tuesday we saw 132 doses provided," Ms Forrest said.
Since Queensland borders reopened last week, 1,365 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed.
Daily case records are tumbling, and the worsening outbreak is changing hesitant minds.
Cherbourg resident Noella Murray got her first vaccination dose this week.
"Before, a lot of people were hesitant, a lot of people were against it," Ms Murray said.
Just under 64 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Queensland are fully vaccinated, according to the federal government.
