The State’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout began this week (22 February), with Victorians most at risk of exposure the first to be vaccinated.
Minister for Health, Martin Foley said trained Victorian health professionals had begun delivering doses of the Pfizer vaccine to high-risk frontline health staff; public sector residential aged care staff and residents; hotel quarantine and health hotel workers; as well as airport and port workers.
“The vaccines are being administered through hospital vaccination hubs managed by public health services,” Mr Foley said.
“Hubs also manage several special outreach sites including at Melbourne Airport and the Port of Portland.”
He said that among the first to be vaccinated were Associate Nurse Unit Manager at the Austin Hospital’s COVID-19 screening clinic, Grace Gibney, and Chris Quinn, a registered mental health nurse working in Hotel Quarantine.
Mr Foley said the vaccination hubs would deliver the vaccine to public sector residential aged care patients and workers, while the Commonwealth was responsible for providing the vaccine to the private sector aged care and disability sectors.
He said Barwon Health in regional Victoria also commenced its public sector residential aged care program this week, trialling an outreach model to be implemented across regional Victoria.
“Hubs at Albury-Wodonga Health, Ballarat Health Services, Bendigo Health, Goulburn Valley Health, and Latrobe Regional Hospital will begin operating in the coming weeks,” the Minister said.
Mr Foley said the Commonwealth had allocated 12,000 initial doses of the Pfizer vaccine for use at Victoria’s hospital vaccination hubs in the first week of the program, with a further 59,000 doses to be provided over the first four weeks.
