Carole is one of almost 330 SWH most-at-risk frontline staff at our Warrnambool Base Hospital who, by day’s end, will have received the Pfizer vaccine.
Tomorrow it’s Camperdown’s turn, when 48 of our most-at-risk Camperdown Hospital frontline workers and all 22 residents at our Merindah Lodge residential aged care facility will roll up their sleeves for the Pfizer vaccine.
Frontline staff and aged care sector residents are the government’s first priority for the national COVID vaccination rollout. The timing of when the community vaccinations will commence is subject to the supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the Barwon Health-coordinated regional vaccination hub. At this stage it’s anticipated all remaining SWH staff and the local community will be offered the AstraZeneca vaccine later this month.
The community vaccinations will take place at our SWH Vaccination Centre in Warrnambool. Approximately 40,000 local people are expected to pass through the SWH Vaccination Centre over the next six to twelve months.
Both the Pfizer vaccine and the AstraZeneca vaccine have received approval for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Trained immunisation staff will administer both. More information on the vaccines can be found at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccine
SWH CEO Craig Fraser says it’s fantastic to see the vaccinations commencing for the priority groups and it won’t be long until we commence our community vaccination program.
‘We hope to see the entire eligible south west community vaccinated in upcoming weeks and months. The south west has an amazing vaccination rate for the flu and I’d love the community to treat the COVID vaccination campaign as an extension to the flu campaign. The sooner people are COVID-vaccinated, the safer we all will be,’ he says.