heavy lifting in that state to date
Again you are ignoring the time difference between the two channels, and two different vaccine types, so not a fair comparison. Compare next week (a single week not life to date) and you will see much lower difference between State and Commonwealth GPs. Gladys's opening Olympic Park (and now Blacktown) and adding standby lists for 40-49s is doing more to promote uptake than GPs who delay appointments rather than refer their unserviceable patients to GPRCs.
f you made Olympic Park AZ only then just watch the demand there drop off.
Of course because there is significant hesitancy and rightful distrust of the AZ vaccines, as evidenced by the fact that so many vacancies at GPRCs for AZ appointments. When the other 49 Pfizer clinics open to Public you will see a mad rush, you will also see a small jump in Olympic Park numbers when they add AZ to the mix later this month.
if we are to vaccinate the most vulnerable, GP delivery is vital.
The most vulnerable are 1A. Workers in that cohort got Pfizer at hospital hubs, and those living in aged care got Pfizer delivered to them, they didn't go to a GP. GPs mostly done 1B and 2A to date and until the state runs hubs opened most of those people only had a choice of GP or GPRC. That is changing now the better option of mass hubs are opening.
Most people I have spoken to here in Sydney that have had, or are booked in for a Covid shot, are using the GPs
Where as most people here in Sydney I have spoke to have had AZ at a GRPC (including my parents as wait for GP was not clear), Pfizer at a hospital hub (friends who are doctors, nurses and some of my staff who work onsite at various hospitals), Pfizer at Olympic Park (including my BIL who is 1B because of his job), are over 50 and refusing AZ (the largest group by far - all hoping government secure a better option for over 50s) or are under 50 and desperately wanting Pfizer having waitlisted at Olympic Park. I only know 1 person waiting for their GP.
To date the approach has been highly skewed towards older people who aren't working and probably have health issues which mean they go to a GP regularly, this is much less appealing for a younger cohort many of whom don't see a GP regularly. For healthy people preventive health measures are commonly done elsewhere i.e. flu shot at work, travel vaccines at travel clinic, skin cancer checks at skin cancer clinic, cancer screening through Breast Screen vans etc - they only go to GP if really unwell and go to which ever is closest and has a vacancy, they don't necessarily have regular GP or any interest in meeting a new one.
This weeks work poll (and over 50% of our clients work in health) asked both our staff (and any customers who visited our offices at some of our hospital sites) where they would prefer to be vaccinated. The options were:
A. At work - the leading result by the way, and luckily an option for those working at the hospitals;
B. Mass vac centre near workplace - the second highest number of votes or
C. GP - which tracking a long way behind A & B.
Not planning to use workplaces like they do for Flu vax is the largest missed opportunity now that we are moving to working age cohorts.
There is also no reason at all that select GP Clinics could not be doing Pfizer as well
Would be a very tiny number that have facilities to keep at recommended temperature, most would be storing at higher temperatures meaning short window of viable usage and more wastage likely if people don't show up etc. The mass vac centres can store Pfizer at -70, and so only need take small numbers out of super cold storage at a time and will eventually be able to take walk-ups too to ensure no wasted doses.
