Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout has lagged well behind schedule, but experts hope the opening of mass injection hubs in Victoria today will help turn the tide.
Key points:
- Bookings and walk-ins will be accepted at three mass COVID-19 vaccination hubs from today
- Two of the hubs are in Melbourne and one is in Geelong
- With the right documentation, people eligible for the vaccine under phases 1A and 1B will be able to receive their jab
Anyone eligible in the phase 1B rollout will be able to make a phone booking or turn up at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton and the former Ford Factory in Geelong.
The centres were previously used for Victorian frontline workers.
About 1.6 million Australians have received doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer injections to date, well short of the four million dose target the Commonwealth Government set last month before it abandoned targets altogether.
Daryl Cheng, the medical lead for the Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre, said he expected the hubs to make a "huge difference" to the phase 1B rollout.
Supplied: Royal Children's Hospital
)Dr Cheng said it was vital the centres were well-managed and public confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine was maintained.
"Making that administrative process as seamless as possible is important," he said.
"The second key point is that we really require the knowledge and the confidence around receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to be boosted."
On Sunday, Deakin University epidemiologist Catherine Bennett said she expected it would take a few weeks for the hubs to "really get flowing", but was confident they would make it easier for more people to be immunised.
How will it work?
Those eligible for vaccinations are encouraged to make a booking over the phone, but walk-up appointments can be secured at the three hubs.
People will be required to bring a driver's licence or documentation that proves their age, or a letter from a GP that outlines an underlying medical condition.
After checking in at a reception desk, crowds will be funnelled to a socially distanced seated waiting area. Nurses will then escort vaccine recipients to a cubicle, where they will be asked a series of screening questions.
AP: Frank Augstein/Pool
)If no red flags emerge, the vaccine will be administered into the person's arm. They will then be taken to an observation area for 15 minutes and allowed to leave.
Bookings can be made by calling 1800 675 398, while walk-ins will be accepted from 9:00am to 4:00pm each day.
Dr Shazeea Mohamed Ali, a doctor who provided a tour of the convention centre on Tuesday, said the process would take about 30 minutes if there were no queues.
How busy will the centres be?
Acting Premier James Merlino said the feedback he had received from the Department of Health was older Victorians were "very keen to get vaccinated".
However Mr Merlino was unable to provide details about the number of bookings received so far, and the department did not respond to questions about the expected capacity of the sites.
ABC News: Patrick Rocca
)The amount of Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses that will be made available at the hubs is also unclear.
"It all comes down to supply. We can and we're willing and able to do more," Mr Merlino said on Tuesday.
Many doctors have previously complained about a lack of AstraZeneca doses, which has left them unable to properly fulfil their intended role of being the frontline of the nation's vaccine response.
'We can't brush over risk'
There is also reluctance among some people to take a vaccine, given cases of serious side-effects and Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommendations that Pfizer be used for those under 50.
Dr Cheng said it was believed the rate of blood clots in people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine was about four to six people out of every million.
"We are living in a space where we are discovering new things about COVID-19 vaccines in general every day. As we get more data, the advice may change," he said.
"The hesitancy, or the confidence on the flip side, really depends on the age group and also the health literacy, and the ability for people to access accurate and up-to-date information."
On April 11, pollsters Roy Morgan released details of a survey in which 69 per cent of Australians said they were willing to be vaccinated
Seven per cent of those surveyed said they had already received a COVID-19 vaccine, and a further 7 per cent said they would take the Pfizer vaccine if it was made available.
University of Sydney Associate Professor Julie-Anne Leask, whose research focuses on vaccine hesitancy, said it was important for people to remember the risks of deadly side-effects were "exceedingly small".
ABC News: Brendan Esposito
)"We can't brush over risk and it's important that we don't over-reassure people right now, because that can set up a sense of 'what are people hiding?'," she said.
"It's also important to help people re-engage with the benefits of vaccination."
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2021-04-20 20:27:47Z
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