Mum reveals the exact loophole she used to get her 14-year-old son vaccinated despite kids not being called up for the jab yet
A mother has revealed the loophole she used to get her 14-year-old son vaccinated despite kids his age not being eligible for the Covid jab.
Melanie Stot, from Brisbane, booked her son Fraser in to receive his first dose of the jab last Sunday, even though children under 16 without underlying health conditions are not currently apart of Australia's vaccine rollout.
Ms Stot said she discovered children aged 12 to 15 could still be booked in for appointments using the QLD Health website after another mother told her about a glitch in the system.
'I wrote a bit after tongue in cheek article for the Courier-Mail last Thursday and by that afternoon I had hundreds of mums looking for ways to book their kids in,' Ms Stot told the Today show on Tuesday.
Brisbane mum Melanie Stot (pictured with son Fraser and daughter Miranda) has revealed a loophole in the QLD Health vaccine system that enables kids under 16 to receive the Covid jab
'One mum told me that you can actually log back into your Queensland Health vaccination log-in and if your husband or wife have been vaccinated through the Queensland Health system, you can add your kids as dependants.'
Ms Stot said a lot of her friends followed the advice and realised they could progress to make a booking for their children.
'Clearly, the system is up and ready to go for children 12 to 15 to be vaccinated,' she said.
Ms Stot said she made an appointment for Fraser after two of his same-aged friends were vaccinated on Friday morning.
Despite the system enabling her to book, she was nervous arriving at the Southbank vaccination hub on Sunday that staff would turn her and Fraser away.
'We went through four check points. Every checkpoint, I thought "OK, this is it. We're to be turned away."
' they said every single time "We're not turning anyone away. We understand." For some reason the announcement hasn't been made yet.'
Last Wednesday, Scott Morrison announced the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation was 'not too far away' on making a decision as to whether to offer children aged 12 to 15 years old a Covid vaccine.
Australia's vaccine rollout does not currently include children aged 12 to 15. Pictured: A person receives a dose of a Covid vaccine at a hub in Dubbo
Ms Stot said after waiting four days for an update, they decided to go ahead and start the process.
'Why would we wait? They're clearly ready to go,' she said.
'Scott Morrison said on Friday that the announcement was imminent....So we went for it.'
Earlier this week, the government announced children aged 12 to 15 living with a disability will be added to Australia's vaccine rollout from Wednesday.
The decision is expected to affect 40,000 National Disability Insurance Scheme participants who did not qualify under other eligibility criteria.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the expert immunisation panel was due to finalise advice on vaccinating all 12 to 15-year-olds this week.
'We are quietly hopeful that will be a double green light after the TGA,' he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved Pfizer for children in the age bracket.
The government is waiting for the tick from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.
Children between 12 and 15 who are immunocompromised, have an underlying medical condition, are Indigenous or in remote communities were already eligible.
Coronavirus outbreaks across Australia have sparked concerns more children are being infected with the Delta variant.
A quarter of those infected in Victoria's outbreak are children as the Delta variant affects them much more than the original coronavirus strain.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the expert immunisation panel was due to finalise advice on vaccinating all 12 to 15-year-olds this week. Pictured: Hundreds of people queue for a Covid vaccination at the South Western Sydney vaccination centre at Macquarie Fields