Hello and welcome to your latest Covid Vaccination Hub Bulletin.
Last Friday we opened the Hub up to all eligible people in the Phase 1B group of the national rollout program.
Commencing Monday 3rd May, I am pleased to announce that all people aged 50 years and over will be eligible to receive the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The commencement of Phase 2a is indeed an exciting step in the vaccine rollout.
We continue to have Pfizer vaccine and are prioritising people eligible under Phase 1a and 1b that are aged under 50 years to have this vaccine.
We are tracking well with our vaccination rates, and have ample availability in the Sunshine Hub leading up to, and over the weekend to come and get the #jabdone for those who would like to attend.
It is natural if you, your colleagues or your loved ones have concerns or questions. We are listening and are here to provide support and advice. We encourage anyone to attend the Hub to talk to our experienced nursing and medical staff who can assist you with your decision making. In addition, for those staff who are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning pregnancy, they can also access up to date reputable advice here.
Please encourage your family and friends to seek support for bookings and advice via the Western Health Internet. Alternatively they can call the Victoria Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398 or book here. As always, staff and volunteers are welcome to book or walk in for an appointment.
In other news we will be providing an outreach service to the Port of Melbourne again next week and our Showgrounds site is coming together, with a fast approaching planned opening in mid May! We are also exploring the potential to pilot a drive through vaccination clinic at the Showgrounds and will have more on this soon.
Thanks to all of you as we move closer towards our goal of getting the #jabdone.
Regards,
Shane Crowe
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery
Advice on AstraZeneca Vaccine
In a statement published on 23 April
the Australian Technical Advisory Group (ATAGI) reinforced its previous advice on use of COVID-19 vaccines following review of vaccine safety data and benefits. This advice is that Comirnaty (Pfizer) is preferred over AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in people under the age of 50 years; The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can still be given to adults under 50 years if Comirnaty is not available, if the benefit of vaccination is likely to outweigh risk, and where informed consent has been obtained; In people aged 50 years and over, the benefits of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks associated with vaccination. ATAGI continues to recommend that people who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine without serious adverse events can be given a second dose.
Click here to to keep up-to-date with advice on the AstraZeneca Vaccine.
If you have family and friends that require easy to read information on the Astrazeneca vaccine, you can direct them to this link.
Changes to our Vaccination Hub Phone and Email Details
The purpose of the COVID-19 Vaccination phone and email hotlines are to respond to enquiries related to the COVID-19 vaccination program.
The COVID-19 Vaccination phone and email hotline:
- Provides advice to employees and members of the community relating to COVID-19 vaccination, including pre-vaccination queries.
- Provides advice following adverse reaction following immunisation.
- Manages general enquiries sent on email (response provided within 24 hours).
- Redirects enquiries specific to other health services and employers to nominated contacts.
The updated Email contact address is: covidvaccination@wh.org.au
The updated COVID Vaccination Hotline number is: 8345 0661 (0800 – 1630 – 7 days a week)
Click here for more information.
Flu Vaccination
The 2021 influenza vaccination is vital to help protect our staff, patients, families and our community against influenza. Click here for more information on the importance of the influenza campaign.
Timing with COVID-19 Vaccine: Vaccination experts recommend 2 weeks between Covid-19 vaccination and influenza vaccination. For more information on the latest advice click here.
Medicare card and Employee number: For the first time, all flu vaccinations are recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). Staff are required to have their Medicare card details and employee number with them when presenting for vaccination.
Launch clinics have already been held at Sunbury and Williamstown with clinics also to be held at:
- Footscray: Friday 30th April; Time: 11.30am to 3.30pm; McArthur Room
- Sunshine: Tuesday 4th May; Atrium – WCHRE; 11.30am to 4pm
- Sunshine: Thursday 6th May; Atrium – WCHRE; Time: 11am to 3pm
Staff who aren’t eligible to receive their Flu vaccination on any of these launch days will have the opportunity to visit drop-in vaccination clinics at Sunshine and Footscray