THE Victorian Government has promised 1200 doses of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for Mildura, but local health authorities say they need to prioritise vaccinating frontline health workers until increased supplies are confirmed.
Sunraysia Community Health Services (SCHS) made the “unavoidable” decision to close off registrations for the vaccine on July 5 due to a lack of supply from the Victorian Government.
On Friday 1800 people were registered on SCHS’s wait list for their first Pfizer dose, a spokesperson said.
All will require two doses.
In a statement, a Victorian Government spokesperson said 1200 doses of Pfizer vaccine were on their way to Mildura “in coming weeks”, but SCHS said it hadn’t been formally notified of the delivery.
“SCHS has not received any formal notification of the expected quantities to be 1200 over the coming weeks,” the spokesperson said.
“However, it is hoped that supply will increase in the near future.
“Should this be the case, appointment bookings will increase accordingly.
“SCHS are currently working with weekly to fortnightly notifications of expected quantities and receipt of Pfizer stock.”
With current supplies limited, SCHS has prioritised vaccinating aged-care workers before mandatory vaccination requirements come in for the aged-care workforce in September.
“This, along with a significant reduction in the wait list, will determine when registrations reopen,” the spokesperson said.
In the meantime, SCHS has been working with Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS) “to ensure that all doses of Pfizer received by both organisations are making it into the community”, SCHS clinical programs manager Shelley Faulks said.
MDAS is administering Pfizer vaccines to all eligible Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the region.
In a statement, a Victorian Government spokesperson pointed the finger at the Federal Government for interruptions to vaccine supply.
“In the face of huge demand, cuts to Pfizer at our state-run centres over the next few months will see us turning away eligible Victorians because the Commonwealth missed their opportunity to secure the nation’s supply,” the spokesperson said.
“We urgently need the Commonwealth to commit to significantly more vaccine supply for our state-run centres across regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne — alongside extra doses for GPs so we can vaccinate more Victorians.
“With only a very small percentage of the Australian population vaccinated we need the Commonwealth to play its part and deliver the vaccines we need to get our country out of this pandemic.
The next delivery to Sunraysia Community Health Services was due to arrive in the week of July 19, the spokesperson said.
The Commonwealth is responsible for vaccine dose allocation, logistics and supply to the Victorian Government.
Since May, SCHS has administered 1678 first and second-dose vaccinations.
