The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Australia has begun

[JB expat]

Both of the Drycleaner cases in Victoria have entered hotel quarantine.

View attachment 251314

That is MY dry cleaning shop - thankfully, I've worn nothing but yoga pants for 12 plus months and have not had a need to visit the shop!

 

[Flying mermaid]

Vaccination stakes update. With a fairly ordinary week, Australia managed to just hold onto 79th spot and we are catching up to St Lucia - beautiful looking Island. Japan is racing away from us though and Fiji.

 

[Pushka]

Vaccination stakes update. With a fairly ordinary week, Australia managed to just hold onto 79th spot and we are catching up to St Lucia - beautiful looking Island. Japan is racing away from us though and Fiji.

Japan needs to race away from us with those Olympics coming up.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Japan needs to race away from us with those Olympics coming up.

Yes I think that has been the catalyst - they were vaccinating very slowly - much worse than us, but took off a few weeks ago. They have a long way to go though!

 

[digpomi]

Our GP practice has been allocated 150 Pfizer/ week starting from 19th July with allocation increasing to 300/week in 3 weeks after start date. A lot earlier and lot more than we were expecting. This along with ongoing Astra 2nd doses will be hard work for the admin/nursing staff but we do have 3 weeks to prepare.

 

[jakeseven7]

Our GP practice has been allocated 150 Pfizer/ week starting from 19th July with allocation increasing to 300/week in 3 weeks after start date. A lot earlier and lot more than we were expecting. This along with ongoing Astra 2nd doses will be hard work for the admin/nursing staff but we do have 3 weeks to prepare.

About time. Congrats.

 

[jakeseven7]

Vaccination stakes update. With a fairly ordinary week, Australia managed to just hold onto 79th spot and we are catching up to St Lucia - beautiful looking Island. Japan is racing away from us though and Fiji.

Lol and Fiji are using our vaccines we don’t want because we are too picky. Brilliant.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Lol and Fiji are using our vaccines we don’t want because we are too picky. Brilliant.

Again, am trying try to look at the silver lining of this. Much better for these Pacific nations to be using AZ than the Chinese mystery vaccines. Plus the associated soft benefits of using our supply.

 

[jakeseven7]

Again, am trying try to look at the silver lining of this. Much better for these Pacific nations to be using AZ than the Chinese mystery vaccines. Plus the associated soft benefits of using our supply.

Yup better than letting them expire, our vaccines will probably complete our pacific island friends vax program before we hit 9%

 

[Flying mermaid]

Yup better than letting them expire, our vaccines will probably complete our pacific island friends vax program before we hit 9%

Now don’t be mischievous- probably 20% is the realistic figure .

I am hoping to see quite an acceleration in July as more Pfizer comes online and second jabs for AZ escalate. We are already sitting at 30% with at least one vaccination and 5% fully vaccinated. Always being optimistic I am hoping for 40% with at least one jab by the end of July and 10 to 15% fully vaccinated.

 

[RAM]

Again, am trying try to look at the silver lining of this. Much better for these Pacific nations to be using AZ than the Chinese mystery vaccines. Plus the associated soft benefits of using our supply.

Agree 100% that doses must not be wasted but isn't this a little bit 'smoke & mirrors'?

As AZ is not supposed to be given to under 60s - that rules out over 90% of people living in Polynesia. The median age, for example, for Micronesia is just 26.8 and Melanesia is 22.8 (includes PNG).

Samoa is 21.8, Vanuatu 21.1, and Tonga is 22.8.

The median age for Australia is 37.2 in comparision, with just under 20% of Australians, permanent residents & visitors aged 60 or over.

The combined population for Micro & Melanesia is around 11.7m people, so the AZ doses required to treat the 60yr+ residents (2 x 1.17m =) 2.34m or 17 days CSL production.

Given usage so far, & projected demand (2nd doses + new demand), that leaves around 42 million of the contracted 50 million AZ doses as surplus to requirements. With current stockpiling - I hope we hear some decisions being made asap before China totally out-manouevres Australia.

For example, sending doses to India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, etc. Perhaps complete with defence force medical teams to (temporarily) run mass vaccination clinics & fly the flag).

 

[bcworld]

Just 33% of workers in aged care have received a first vaccine dose!

Two-thirds of staff in aged care homes not vaccinated

Vaccinations for aged care staff lag well behind the initial schedule promised by Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt in February, new federal figures show.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Lynda2475]

So ABC is reporting that:

"Dr Young said that 71 per cent of Queenslanders aged 70 or older have now had their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

She said that it was important to get the second dose and that she would be having her second dose of the Astra Zeneca vaccine this week."

It was widely reported in last week of May that Dr Young hadnt been vaccinated, then this month (cant find an exact date) she finally got a first dose. Getting a second dose next weeks means less than a month between doses, wonder why she isnt following her own health advice of 12 weeks? Or did she really have Pfizer?

 

[jakeseven7]

Some young people are apparently rocking up to hubs and being able to get AZ.... It was on the news last night... here is a related story.

I fully support some of the ATAGI members thoughts that people should be able to choose if they want AZ and let them get it if they want.

———

Australians under 40 are crying out for the coronavirus vaccine — are we listening?


Overheard in Sydney, just a few hours before lockdown:

"It was pissing me off earlier in the week — went out to a bakery and the only people not wearing masks were three old men, all of whom had probably been vaccinated. Young people have given up so much to protect old people — happily for the most part — and it sucks to see them not doing their part."

She, like virtually every 20 to 40-year-old I know is desperate to be vaccinated.

They'd take the AZ in a heartbeat if allowed — they narrow their eyes resentfully at Baby Boomers and Gen Xers who fret and pace over whether to wait for Pfizer or go now.

They see footage of empty mass vaccination centres. If you don't want it, their silence fairly screams, then get. Out. Of. The. Way.

Some have simply charged through the queue. Oakley, 24, heard that a local health service was giving AZ to whoever wanted it, turned up, had a chat about the under 50 warning and walked away with his first shot.

The young and the vaxless: Furious under 40s are crying out to be vaccinated

Virtually every 20 to 40-year-old I know is desperate to be vaccinated. They would take the AZ in a heartbeat if allowed and narrow their eyes resentfully at Baby Boomers and Gen Xers who fret about it, writes Virginia Trioli.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Must...Fly!]

Some have simply charged through the queue. Oakley, 24, heard that a local health service was giving AZ to whoever wanted it, turned up, had a chat about the under 50 warning and walked away with his first shot.

I applaud this persons persistence and commitment. Ought to be congratulated and it should be widely publicised that if you are aware of the risk (if you can call it that) then come and get vaccinated.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Some of the GPs aren’t helping. A friend’s Mum went to the GP to get her AZ shot last week. She had polio as a child, so obviously has problems in her legs and lack of feeling. So GP goes through the list of questions and because she has no feeling in her legs won’t give her AZ (as she won’t be able to detect getting clots). She says does that mean I will be eligible for Pfizer instead. “Oh no you are 70, so you can’t get Pfizer, so you just can’t get vaccinated!”

 

[Pushka]

Some of the GPs aren’t helping. A friend’s Mum went to the GP to get her AZ shot last week. She had polio as a child, so obviously has problems in her legs and lack of feeling. So GP goes through the list of questions and because she has no feeling in her legs won’t give her AZ (as she won’t be able to detect getting clots). She says does that mean I will be eligible for Pfizer instead. “Oh no you are 70, so you can’t get Pfizer, so you just can’t get vaccinated!”

Hopefully he also tells her not to fly, not to have significant surgery, etc etc then.

I was concerned when I rocked up for my first dose before all the clot kerfuffle happened, that because I had a history of clots then they might refuse me AZ. I was already psyched up to insist I be able to sign a complete waiver of any medical issues that may arise, so I could get the Vax.

 

[Batterytraveller]

As AZ is not supposed to be given to under 60s - that rules out over 90% of people living in Polynesia. The median age, for example, for Micronesia is just 26.8 and Melanesia is 22.8 (includes PNG).

Australia is one of a few jurisdictions not giving AZ to under 60s. Many others have taken a very different view of the risk profile. No one is ruled out from making an informed decision and getting vaccinated with AZ, even in Australia.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Hopefully he also tells her not to fly, not to have significant surgery, etc etc then.

I was concerned when I rocked up for my first dose before all the clot kerfuffle happened, that because I had a history of clots then they might refuse me AZ. I was already psyched up to insist I be able to sign a complete waiver of any medical issues that may arise, so I could get the Vax.

She is going to visit her daughter in Brisbane soon and her daughter is going to sort it out and get her vaccinated!

 

[RooFlyer]

Just got my second AZ; sounds like everyone in the clinic are also on their second. All senior-ish and all bright and cheery to be here.