MILDURA has been overlooked as a COVID-19 vaccine hub with ultra-cold freezers to store the Pfizer vaccine.
The Victorian Government today announced at least six centres will be set up in regional areas, with hubs earmarked for public hospitals run by Western Health, Austin Health, Monash Health, Barwon Health, Goulburn Valley Health, Latrobe Health, Bendigo Health, Ballarat Health and Albury-Wodonga Health.
The announcements comes following speculation raised in Sunraysia Daily last week that Mildura would get the less effective Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, while other Victorian regions would get access to Pfizer, which needs to be stored at -70 degree temperatures.
Pfizer is expected to be available to priority groups for vaccination from late February.
Mildura councillor Stefano de Pieri questioned why Mildura had missed out on being part of the first Pfizer rollout in regional Victoria.
“It’s unfair that our frontline workers will not be getting the Pfizer vaccine,” the celebrity cook said.
“What is the discriminating factor behind Mildura missing out? And on what basis did the government make the decisions on where the Pfizer vaccine would be rolled out?”
Health Minister Martin Foley also said vaccine hubs would be set up in some of Melbourne’s major hospitals.
The first people in line to be vaccinated in Australia will be frontline healthcare workers, hotel quarantine staff, disability workers, aged care workers, and elderly residents.
“We are working on the basis as soon as the vaccine is available, we’ll be in a position to start that rollout. The vaccine program is safe, effective and free,” Mr Foley said.
“Historically we’ve seen very high rates of take-up from our health network … and we’d expect that to continue to be the case.”
The state has now been free of local transmission of the virus for four weeks.
