There are fears Queensland will be ‘left behind’ when southern states reopen as vaccination rates lag behind the nation.

Queensland is the worst-performing state in Australia in the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

“We’ve been falsely reassured we’ll keep the virus out,” infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin told Neil Breen.

“The virus will come and we’re going to be underprepared.”

The focus needs to shift from reaching zero COVID-19 cases to achieving a herd immunity, Dr Griffin says.

“It’s very likely that the southern states, who really got a move on with their vaccine rollouts, will be able to do things like travel overseas before we can let people into Queensland, even.

“We will definitely get left behind and when it does come, which it will, all this good work will actually be for nothing.”

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Image: Nine News