Thousands of appointments for the COVID-19 Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are open for eligible Victorians over the coming month, with further available appointments set aside for priority health care workers and aged care and disability workers yet to be vaccinated.
Almost 60,000 Pfizer appointments are now open for eligible Victorians over the coming month and more than 15,000 extra open appointments have also been are set aside for prioritised workers. Thousands of AstraZeneca appointments are also open, with walk up appointments also available, for people aged 60 and over, an official press release said.
The COVID-19 Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are safe and effective. A recent analysis shows that none of the locally acquired COVID-19 cases hospitalised during the July outbreak were fully vaccinated, which further highlights the importance of getting your vaccine as soon as you’re eligible.
Currently, there is an average of 14,000 Pfizer appointments available every week from August 9 through to September 5, and Victorians can book online or by phone today. More than 200,000 Pfizer bookings have already been made for this period, and more than 15,000 extra open appointments are set aside for prioritised workers.
The Department of Health will also start publishing graphs and tables every week online showing age and gender of vaccine recipients at Victoria’s vaccination centres, as well as the type of vaccine administered.
The new Pfizer appointments have been added to the system following Victoria’s decision to revise the recommended Pfizer second dose interval to six weeks.
This has freed up supply available for first dose appointments now, because the demand for subsequent second dose appointments can be met with September’s projected increase in supply.
Victorians currently eligible for the vaccine under the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 vaccination program include everyone aged 40 and over, and large numbers of people under 40 such as health care workers and people with specified underlying medical conditions.
More than 1.6 million doses have been delivered through Victoria’s 52 state-run high-volume, hospital, community, and pop-up vaccination centres—more than any other state or territory.
General practitioners, pharmacists and Aboriginal controlled community health organisations are also administering the vaccine across Victoria.
Victoria continues to work with general practice and the Commonwealth to ensure its program is delivering to areas of emerging need.
Minister for Health Martin Foley said, “This is the opportunity for everyone who hasn’t been able to secure an appointment so far while supplies have been limited: get vaccinated, get protected, and help us all get back to normal.
“We can look at the evidence from overseas to see the power of this vaccine in action—but we can also look close to home. None of the people hospitalised for COVID-19 during the recent outbreak in Victoria were fully vaccinated.
“We’re so proud of our close partnership with GPs in Victoria, and if you have any questions whatsoever about the vaccine and your health, there’s no better place to turn than your trusted local GP.”
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