By Gabriella Payne
High-risk and priority Victorians could be rolling up their sleeves for the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine as early as mid February, as the first phase of the commonwealth’s Covid-19 vaccination program will be rolled out as soon as possible.
Nine suburban and regional health services across the state are ready and waiting to administer the jab to those most at risk of coronavirus, with the safe and effective vaccine set to be arriving at Victorian public hospital vaccination hubs in the coming weeks.
The hubs will be set up at Western Health, Austin Health, Monash Health, Barwon Health, Goulburn Valley Health, Latrobe Health, Bendigo Health, Ballarat Health and Albury-Wodonga Health and will be starting as soon as the vaccine is available.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has undergone a thorough and complete assessment and is the first Covid-19 vaccine to receive commonwealth regulatory approval in Australia.
Meeting high safety, efficacy and quality standards, the vaccine is in high demand around the world and Australia’s first 1.4 million doses will be set to go to priority people, including quarantine and border workers, hotel quarantine staff and frontline at-risk health care workers, followed by aged care and disability care staff and residents.
Martin Foley, the minister for health, ensured the vaccine’s safety and said that making sure every Australian was safe and protected from coronavirus was the government’s top priority.
“The vaccine is safe, effective and free – and it will be provided first to those Victorians who are most at risk of infection or serious illness, such as people in aged care and our frontline health staff,” Mr Foley said.
“Our priority is to make sure that any vaccine which becomes available can be administered to Victorians as quickly and safely as possible.”
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be administered in two doses, which must be given at least three weeks (21 days) apart, and the vaccine must be stored and transported at a temperature of -70 degrees celsius.
Mr Foley said that getting every Victorian vaccinated safely and efficiently would help to minimise the risk of another Covid-19 break out in the state.
“Getting Victorians who are most at risk of infection vaccinated as soon as possible will protect the health of those vaccinated, as well as their families and the whole community,” he said.
Other vaccines are also planned to be rolled out across the state, such as the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, but this will depend on the commonwealth’s regulatory approval, volume and the timing of doses becoming available.
To see the latest information and advice about the Covid-19 vaccine in Victoria, visit: www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccine or www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines
