The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Australia has begun

[Flying mermaid]

i have no idea. That's the thing. There hasn't been any announcement out there. I called my GP clinic yesterday, they told me to go to the nearest Public Hospital vaccination clinic! And that they weren't going to be doing any of them.

Oh well - hope things will become clearer once this starts up. Ms FM is registered with Health Engine and I have told her to check with her GP in a couple of weeks as well. She has a different GP practice to mine.

 

[levelnine]

Australia is well behind where other countries were at this stage of the vaccine roll out:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1371251675986464768

The government's incompetence shows no signs of abating. Meanwhile the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people remain on hold.

It's telling how many leading Australian economists are calling out the government for its woeful performance:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1371603582508621824

 

[RooFlyer]

Australia is well behind where other countries were at this stage of the vaccine roll out:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1371251675986464768

The government's incompetence shows no signs of abating. Meanwhile the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people remain on hold.

Oh for goodness sake! Do you really think the situation with Covid in Australia anywhere near comparable to that vast majority of countries in the world? Especially the countries in the graph ( except to South Korea). They have deadly health emergencies. How are we going here?

Have you seen the news of countries stopping their vaccination programs? Including countries in the EU in your graph.. Should we be following the quoted countries in that regard, do you think?

Our roll out is suiting our circumstances, not the circumstances In the USA, Norway Iceland Chile or anywhere else. How about that?

 

[Flying mermaid]

I just wish people would be a bit more patient! If it’s still really slow by the end of April, I will join the critics, but give it a chance. I am actually quite happy with 1b starting next week - it’s pretty much on schedule and if it flows we are going to be moving to 2A in May and that will be fantastic and on Schedule as from early Feb, May was the predicted start for 2A.

 

[drron]

As well the Pfizer vaccine has a German company as partner so manufactured in the EU plus USA.Moderna is an US company.So no surprise that the USA and the EU don't have problems with vaccine delivery.

 

[Hillbilly64]

My GP's practice - has about 12 doctors, plus travel clinic, plus small pathology room - doesn't come up on Health Engine. They use HotDoc. So I guess HE will 'refer' me to somewhere else.

So I'm another who is surprised that HE (?only?) was chosen. Or did they just set this up themselves?

My GP is offering them from next week and you just book direct with them. They don't show up on Health Engine.

Unless no clinic in southern GC tendered for it.... which seems odd.... In which case they may set up a mass vaccination clinic like we’ve seen in VIC.

Looks like they just don't have all the clinics on Health Engine. (I'd never heard of it before today) ..my clinic isn't on there...but have vaccines from next week. So central GC.

No idea how I'd go about bookinga Pfizer jab though as my clininc only does AZ.

 

[mviy]

I just wish people would be a bit more patient!

I agree. As someone in 2B though it's hard to be patient as I want to get vaccinated ASAP so that the government will let me travel to see family and yet know I'm at the end of the queue.

I'd like to be fully vaccinated in time to go overseas in July, but I doubt I'll have my first dose by then. I want to have my second dose no later than October and then travel in November.

 

[oznflfan]

I agree. As someone in 2B though it's hard to be patient as I want to get vaccinated ASAP so that the government will let me travel to see family and yet know I'm at the end of the queue.

I'd like to be fully vaccinated in time to go overseas in July, but I doubt I'll have my first dose by then. I want to have my second dose no later than October and then travel in November.

I want to travel to USA and Europe September 2022 and still not ultra confident I will be allowed. Give it 80% chance.

 

[RooFlyer]

It's telling how many leading Australian economists are calling out the government for its woeful performance:

Sorry? Economists calling out the government on its performance on a vaccine roll-out? Sorry, while I suppress a laugh. Perhaps they might stick to wrongly predicting the performance of you know, the economy. Now, when bat sexers have their say, I might pay attention.

The good perfesser says: If Australia was vaccinating at the US rate we’d be vaccinating about 150,000 people per day. I dunno. What does he say about the comparative the death rates from COVID in Australia and the USA? Is that a 'rollout rate' he'd like to see?

 

[Flying mermaid]

I agree. As someone in 2B though it's hard to be patient as I want to get vaccinated ASAP so that the government will let me travel to see family and yet know I'm at the end of the queue.

I'd like to be fully vaccinated in time to go overseas in July, but I doubt I'll have my first dose by then. I want to have my second dose no later than October and then travel in November.

It is hard to be patient - we have been to 2 restaurants in the last year and that’s in the last few months. We have spent most of the rest of the time being very careful where we went or what we did - only a handful of people were allowed to visit our home. I didn’t see my closest friend until November as she and her husband were totally isolating due to his age and health. Have been cut off from our son in San Francisco - I think it’s been a really tough year for everyone.

I don’t see it as easy as “get vaccinated and the world is right again. “ For a start most of South America and Africa won’t be vaccinated for a long time, so I think it’s going to be a slower process than people think. Easier for younger people, as the risk is less but I doubt if we will be travelling overseas until 2023.

 

[dajop]

Can we avoid this thread morphing into yet another round of “oh I don’t think we’ll be travelling overseas until October 2028” type discussion? There’s pages and pages of that stuff elsewhere.

 

[Pushka]

I just wish people would be a bit more patient! If it’s still really slow by the end of April, I will join the critics, but give it a chance. I am actually quite happy with 1b starting next week - it’s pretty much on schedule and if it flows we are going to be moving to 2A in May and that will be fantastic and on Schedule as from early Feb, May was the predicted start for 2A.

Isn't 2A moving to June? Or maybe that is 2B. I dunno. Like being back at school.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Isn't 2A moving to June? Or maybe that is 2B. I dunno. Like being back at school.

Not so far - if you put your details into the various “when will I be vaccinated” tools, 2A starts in May. I guess we will have a better idea in say 3 weeks when we see how 1b is progressing.

edit checked two of them again. ABC says late April to late May for 2A. Health says middle of the year for 2A but it says the same for 2B

 

[Toula92122]

Not so far - if you put your details into the various “when will I be vaccinated” tools, 2A starts in May. I guess we will have a better idea in say 3 weeks when we see how 1b is progressing.

edit checked two of them again. ABC says late April to late May for 2A. Health says middle of the year for 2A but it says the same for 2B

I don't think there has been any adjustment to the expected dates taking into account the slippage at these early stages as I recall checking when the site was first available and again this week and it indicates the same date which I find hard to believe.

I have to agree that it is likely easier to be patient when you are closer to get the vaccination. For those of us further back in the queue it is frustrating as with all these discussions on travel bubbles we are not likely to be able to take any advantage.

 

[Pushka]

I have to agree that it is likely easier to be patient when you are closer to get the vaccination. For those of us further back in the queue it is frustrating as with all these discussions on travel bubbles we are not likely to be able to take any advantage.

If humans are anything like rats, an operant conditioning experiment in psych we did at Uni demonstrated that the closer to the target you are, the faster you run! So it's the opposite!

 

[Flying mermaid]

I don't think there has been any adjustment to the expected dates taking into account the slippage at these early stages as I recall checking when the site was first available and again this week and it indicates the same date which I find hard to believe.

I have to agree that it is likely easier to be patient when you are closer to get the vaccination. For those of us further back in the queue it is frustrating as with all these discussions on travel bubbles we are not likely to be able to take any advantage.

I don’t think we will really know how much impact the slight slippage has caused until mid April. If they can genuinely use up everything CSL is producing plus the small amount of Pfizer they are getting each week it will start moving really fast and any slippage would amount to maybe a week. Certainly hope so

 

[Pushka]

@Flying mermaid - get your daughter to check out HealthEngine - appointments can now be made.

I will call the clinic tomorrow but think I may have booked for a vaccination next Monday morning. Will update later tomorrow.

 

[Flying mermaid]

@Flying mermaid - get your daughter to check out HealthEngine - appointments can now be made.

I will call the clinic tomorrow but think I may have booked for a vaccination next Monday morning. Will update later tomorrow.

Thanks ACT doesn’t seem to be loaded yet but will get her to keep checking (and I will as well!). Great you have one already.

EDIT

Apparently ACT hasn’t been told yet how much vaccine they will get in coming weeks, so I guess that is the holdup.

 

[Pushka]

Thanks ACT doesn’t seem to be loaded yet but will get her to keep checking (and I will as well!). Great you have one already.

I thought I saw Queanbeyan when I searched from NSW? It's just been announced on the radio in SA too. Riverside clinic or some such name?

OK. Aus health has their own checker and link to clinics, many of whom aren't going online for bookings. I can see one in Canberra that is online, the rest you have to call.

search for Canberra

Find a health service

Use the healthdirect Service Finder to locate your nearest health services in any part of Australia, such as GPs, hospitals, dentists, psychologists, hospitals, optical, pathology, pharmacies and a wide range of others.

covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au

Riverside appears here and seems to be bookable online and will take new patients?

 

[Anna]

The ABC announced the new fed govt covid vaccine booking system is accessed via health.gov.au so I had a look.

It told me I'm eligible for the covid vaccine from 22 March due to one of my jobs.

It then told me that there are no clinics in the CBD offering the vaccine, that the 20 Adelaide clinics who do offer it are only taking covid vaccine bookings by phone except one, and that clinic will not accept online bookings for new patients. My normal GP clinic is not offering the covid vaccine so I seem to have no choice except to be a new patient somewhere else. And no doubt the phone lines will be jammed for at least a few days.

They have had months and months to plan for this vaccine rollout and this is the best they can do? I'm just glad I don't have a health issue that puts me at risk.

Maybe I'll just wait for the 6G vaccine instead (ok yes, joke )