Meet the cold chain nurse 'babysitting' COVID-19 vaccinations at Melbourne pop-up clinics
Cold chain nurse Evita Arce is one of a dozen cohealth employees getting ready to provide COVID-19 vaccinations at pop-up clinics throughout Melbourne's suburbs.
"I usually call my vaccines my babies because I look after them," she said.
"I babysit them the whole shift."
Ms Arce is the sole person charged with caring for the vaccines, from the moment she picks them up from the pharmac_ until the dose has been drawn up and administered at a temporary vaccination centre.
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Pop-up clinic set up within hours
The Reservoir clinic was established in response to Victoria's fourth lockdown, when demand for COVID vaccinations spiked in Melbourne's north.
At 8am on May 31, cohealth's assistant director of medical, Ashley Nind, was standing alone in an empty basketball stadium assessing if the site would be suitable for a pop-up.
Four hours later they were set up, and by day's end more than 60 people had received vaccinations.
The Reservoir site is one of five outreach clinics being operated by cohealth today, with more sites due to open at public housing towers in Williamstown and Carlton over the weekend.
"We try to support the most vulnerable residents, particularly around what we call the HRA properties – high risk accommodation," Mr Nind said.
"Because of … the disproportionate number of cases that came from the high rises the department [of health] have asked us to set up a clinic in the community rooms at the base of some of those towers."
"There are some people that won't attend a mass vaccination site — it is intimidating, it's quite daunting in its nature."
Most of the cohealth community health clinics are walk in and Ms Arce said they were being embraced by local residents.
"It's really exciting to be able to engage with different people in the community," she said.
"They are thankful for what we are doing, especially older people who cannot travel a long way."
Read the article in full:
Evita Arce calls these COVID-19 vaccinations her "babies" — and like any infant, they demand a strict routine and constant attention.
www.abc.net.au
