The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Australia has begun

[NM]

They say to keep checking as appointments open up as supplies increase plus people cancel. Keep trying!

That is my plan, as noted in my post. I do not believe there is no booking available for 3 months at any of 15+ locations within 20km. It has to be a system issue and I expect it will be cleared soon.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Today I received my email from Qld Health inviting me to create an account and book my vaccination. However, after following the instructions, there are NO (none, zero, zilch) bookings available at any of the 13 Qld Health vaccination centres within 20km of my home for the entire period between 10th August to 8th October (the booking window available on the web site). The only option I could find that has bookings available is the new vaccination site at South Bank, but that is about 40km away and not at all convenient for me.

I assume this is a temporary glitch in the booking system and I will try again later today and again daily for a few days to see if bookings become available at a more convenient location. There are two locations within 5km of my home which are quite easy to attend (one slightly more convenient).

Anyway, the invitation to make a booking came much earlier than the October estimate note in my previous email from Qld Health following initial registration of interest.

If I were you, I'd keep checking until you lock in an appointment you are happy with. I heard of people double booking and triple booking, multiple bookings until they are happy with their endeavours.

Delta is a game changer that will strike unexpectedly. The sooner you are double vaccinated the better.

 

[Lynda2475]

I was not aware you had personal experience with the Qld Health booking system.

There is nothing unique about it, and all states appointments can be booked via the federal appointment checker.

The experience of extra appointments popping up periodically happens everywhere.

But if you need a Qld centric example, a family friend who is a teacher in Brisbane went to make her booking in early July and originally couldn't get an appointment until September school holidays, she took that but then kept checking back. Low and behold she was able to get an earlier slot 2 days out, had her first Pfizer on 24 July and is now getting her second next week. Persistence pays off.

Ignore the advice if you want, there will be no shortage of others that will keep checking back and snap up the earlier appointments when they become available even if you don't.

 

[Princess Fiona]

That is my plan, as noted in my post. I do not believe there is no booking available for 3 months at any of 15+ locations within 20km. It has to be a system issue and I expect it will be cleared soon.

Forgive me as you have probably answered this before but can QLD book into their GP or via pharmac_ for AZ if under 60 ?

 

[NM]

If I were you, I'd keep checking until you lock in an appointment you are happy with. I heard of people double booking and triple booking, multiple bookings until they are happy with their endeavours.

Delta is a game changer that will strike unexpectedly. The sooner you are double vaccinated the better.

I don't believe the Qld Health system allows you to hold multiple bookings for the same person. However, it would be possible to have one booking through Qld Health and another directly through a GP.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

update released

https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/08/covid-19-vaccine-rollout-update-10-august-2021.pdf

 

[NM]

Forgive me as you have probably answered this before but can QLD book into their GP or via pharmac_ for AZ if under 60 ?

There are very few GPs offering Pfizer, and those that do are fully booked with no slots available for "new patients".

I did have a booking with my GP to receive AZ, however the advice from my GP (who does administer AZ vaccine himself at his practice) following a recent adverse reaction to a vasodilation medication was to get Pfizer as soon as available to me, which would result in my being double-dipped in the same or earlier time frame anyway.

 

[Flying mermaid]

98,000 vaccinations in NSW yesterday - for a moment I thought I was reading Covid Live’s testing stats.

 

[mviy]

When today's numbers come out tomorrow we should have over 1/3 of 50+ fully vaccinated!

80-84 and 85-89 should pass 50% fully vaccinated as well.

70-74 has reached 80% first dose. So every age group 70-74 and up except 95+ has reached or passed 80% with the first dose.

2/3 of 60-64 have had their first dose.

The only age group 40-44 and older that has less than 25% fully vaccinated is 60-64. That should change in a few days.

1/7 35-39 are fully vaccinated and almost 1/8 of 30-34 year olds.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

98,000 vaccinations in NSW yesterday - for a moment I thought I was reading Covid Live’s testing stats.

I believe Year 12 from concerned LGAs got some priority vaccination. But if NSW keep it up it will probably be over 600,000 per week.

 

[mviy]

98,000 vaccinations in NSW yesterday - for a moment I thought I was reading Covid Live’s testing stats.

98,000 out of 234,899. It may not be too long till 1 million vaccinations are done every 4 working days. The rollout is picking up pace.

 

[NM]

There is nothing unique about it, and all states appointments can be booked via the federal appointment checker.

The experience of extra appointments popping up periodically happens everywhere.

But if you need a Qld centric example, a family friend who is a teacher in Brisbane went to make her booking in early July and originally couldnt get an appointment until September school holidays, she took that but then kept checking back. Low and behold she was able to get an earlier slot 2 days out, had her first Pfizer on 24 July and is now getting her second next week. Persistance pays off.

Ignore the advice if you want, there will be no shortage of others that will keep checking back and snap up the earlier appointments when they become available even if you dont.

Umm, no. that is not correct. In Qld, even if you use the federal eligibility checker and select a Qld Health facility as the location (as opposed to a private GP clinic), you are directed to the Qld Health system for booking.

The Qld Health system is a two-stage process where you first register your interest to receive vaccination (which I did about a month ago) and then when its your turn to make a booking you receive an email with a personalised link to create an account and make a booking, which is the email I received today.

And yes, as I clearly stated in my earlier post, I fully expect availability of slots to change and intend to keep checking. I also note that there were no available slots for 3 months at 15+ Qld Health locations within 20km of my home, so that implies to me that there is a system problem at present and I fully expect it clear and to be able to make a booking shortly.

 

[mviy]

3 deaths from community infection in NSW all unvaccinated. Two in their 80s and one in their 70s so they should have been fully vaccinated, but weren't.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

3 deaths from community infection in NSW all unvaccinated. Two in their 80s and one in their 70s so they should have been fully vaccinated, but weren't.

One was from overseas (overseas quarantine) so irrelevant to the discussion probably

Edit: my error a 4th death was from O/S

 

[lovetravellingoz]

98,000 vaccinations in NSW yesterday - for a moment I thought I was reading Covid Live’s testing stats.

With 68,611 (70%) of them through GPs and Pharmacies.

When you compare Vic and NSW prorata wise it is the out-perform in the GP/pharmac_ Channel in NSW that is the difference in the vaccinations being achieved in each state. Well that plus the number of active cases driving demand and the reduced requirements on where one can get vaccinated with what which makes it easier for more people to now get vaccinated. While 18-39 year olds can now book in for AZ in Vic, it is only yet as yet a limited number of hubs.

 

[Lynda2475]

The Qld Health system is a two-stage process where you first register your interest to receive vaccination (which I did about a month ago) and then when its your turn to make a booking you receive an email with a personalised link to create an account and make a booking, which is the email I received today.

So exactly the same as my experience in NSW - I registered the day it opened for wait list, got an invite, selected the site which was most conveinient (was only offered 4) then booked it.

Didn't stop me from being able to use the Fed site to see where there were other appointments available though.

 

[Lynda2475]

While 18-39 year olds can now book in for AZ in Vic, it is only yet as yet a limited number of hubs.

That age cohort can use the GP route in Vic, just as they can in NSW.

The easier access to AZ for 18-59s in NSW state hubs is not driving the numbers, as majority of doses given in state hubs are still Pfizer and only some NSW hubs offer AZ.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

With 68,611 (70%) of them through GPs and Pharmacies.

When you compare Vic and NSW prorata wise it is the out-perform in the GP/pharmac_ Channel in NSW that is the difference in the vaccinations being achieved in each state. Well that plus the number of active cases driving demand and the reduced requirements on where one can get vaccinated with what which makes it easier for more people to now get vaccinated. While 18-39 year olds can now book in for AZ in Vic, it is only yet as yet a limited number of hubs.

That's an interesting take that I don't agree with.

With effectively a 100% utilisation rate in NSW, its just demand wherever there is supply.

The powers that be gave GPs and Pharmacies in NSW 70% and that's why its 70%. At this point in time, if the powers that be gave NSW State hubs 40% or 50%, people would go there.

I'm not pro-State hub - I'm just not anti-State hub.

Delta is a game changer......

 

[MooTime]

When today's numbers come out tomorrow we should have over 1/3 of 50+ fully vaccinated!

80-84 and 85-89 should pass 50% fully vaccinated as well.

70-74 has reached 80% first dose. So every age group 70-74 and up except 95+ has reached or passed 80% with the first dose.

2/3 of 60-64 have had their first dose.

The only age group 40-44 and older that has less than 25% fully vaccinated is 60-64. That should change in a few days.

1/7 35-39 are fully vaccinated and almost 1/8 of 30-34 year olds.

Not sure where your from, but what's with the 1/3 & 1/7 fraction stats.......we talk as the PDF release states in %% terms.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The easier access to AZ for 18-59s in NSW state hubs is not driving the numbers, as majority of doses given in state hubs are still Pfizer and only some NSW hubs offer AZ.

Are you arguing with yourself now? I was pointing out 70% of vaccinations in NSW were via GPs and Pharmacies where everyone knows there is very little Pfizer.


I was also talking about in Victoria 18-39's and not 19-59s.

For Vic 18-39's it was quite difficult for them to get AZ. GP RC's which have volume could not be booked online for the 18-39's. You had to go via a GP Practice many of whom were prioritising on age and not vaccinating the youngest cohort.

Pharmacies also do not give AZ in Vic to the younger cohort.

The change as of today means that it is only now that can 18-39's readily gain access to AZ in Victoria in a easy n-fuss manner. Though slots to do are still quite limited.


Plus Sutton directly stating on Sunday that if he was young that he would get AZ will help enormously.