Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has suggested that Australia assist Papua New Guinea with its COVID-19 vaccine roll-out amid a recent virus outbreak. Palaszczuk says the assistance would not only help to prevent a potentially devastating outbreak in the Torres Strait Islands, but also protect mainland Queenslanders as many Papuans fly in and out of mining jobs in North Queensland. The Queensland government is prioritising vaccination in the Torres Strait Islands, citing low health outcomes in the region, with the first vaccines expected to be administered in the Torres Strait this weekend.