It was an exciting day for Western Health yesterday with the opening of the Sunshine Hospital COVID Vaccination Hub! A well-oiled machine thanks to the excellent preparation by hundreds of staff from right across the organisation, including many who are based at Footscray and Williamstown!
Read more about the opening below.
In other Vaccination site news, the Parkville Precinct Hub has been up and running all week.
Staff at Mercy Health have also been working hard to be ready to go live with the Werribee Vaccination Hub on Tuesday next week.
Keep up the good work and thanks to all involved in setting up and running our Vaccination sites.
Keep reading below to find out more about the opening of the Sunshine Hospital Vaccination Hub and new information added to the Vaccination Hub microsite to keep you informed and supported throughout the COVID-19 vaccination journey.
Regards
Shane Crowe
Executive Director Nursing & Midwifery
Opening of the Sunshine Hospital Vaccination Hub
As can be seen from the photos below, it was all systems go as the Sunshine Hospital Vaccination Hub opened on Thursday 4 March.
For the first two days the focus has been on vaccinating, with 158 people vaccinated on Thursday 4 March; predominantly COVID Quarantine Victoria workers
We have had 10 cubicles open on day 1 and day 2. This will increase to 20 cubicles over the weekend, and will eventually expand to full capacity of 60 cubicles.
Tomorrow Saturday 6 March, we will be vaccinating the first Western Health staff other than those administering the vaccines and directly involved with the hub.
Sunshine vaccination hub Nurse Unit Manager Donald Johnson is doing a brilliant job marshalling the troups and said: “It’s been a really exciting time for the team. We’ve taken a measured and steady approach, making sure safety is our top priority. It’s been very important to make sure the team is properly orientated and now we’re really looking forward to expanding.”
Vaccination Clinics and Staff Enquiries
There are many handy resources on this COVID Vaccination Hub site, including the Vaccination Clinics and Staff Enquiries section.
This includes succinct information for staff who are receiving vaccinations at all of the Vaccination Hubs. Quite a lot of new information has been added to this section as our Hubs have developed and gone live.
Webinars
The News section of the Vaccination Hub site has become the Hub News and Webinars section where staff can view recordings of the Webinars being run to present information about the Vaccination Hub and provide answers to frequently asked questions about the COVID vaccines, how they work, their safety and efficacy, Commonwealth designated eligibility and how the vaccines will be distributed and administered.
The Webinars have proven very popular with many staff tuning in to listen to presented information and ask questions about the vaccination process. Slides of each webinar are also provided within the Hub News and Webinars section of the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
A reminder that the Frequently Asked Questions section has the answers to many of your burning questions.
Informed by the questions we have seen coming through in recent Webinars, our Frequently Asked Questions have recently been updated.
Vaccine in Pregnancy
Highlighted at a recent Webinar was the Australian Government Decision Guide for Vaccine and Pregnancy. This is such a valuable resource for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and for those planning pregnancy. It will help you to learn about the possible benefits and any risks of having a COVID-19 vaccine and how this relates to risks associated with having COVID. It will also help you in deciding if and when to have a COVID-19 vaccine.
A/Prof Andrew Daley, Head of Infectious Diseases at the Royal Women’s Hospital has also made a video on COVID Vaccination in Pregnancy. Click here to view this video.