Hundreds turn out at pop-up clinic

HUNDREDS of Sunraysia children have turned out to get their first vaccination dose following the return to school last week.

A pop-up clinic at Mildura Primary School attracted 180 people to receive their COVID-19 vaccine last Friday and hundreds more rolled up their sleeves over the weekend.

Children were offered a bag of goodies, with toys, native animal stickers, a colouring book and had the chance to put their name on the vaccination tree at the school’s Enchanted Forest of Protection.

While the clinic was open to anyone in need of a jab, children aged 5-11 were encouraged to get their first dose, while anyone aged 12 or older could get their first or second dose.

Anyone eligible could also receive their third booster dose.

The youngest children received a smaller dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine with experienced immunisers on hand to ensure their vaccination experience was positive and comfortable.

The clinic was open on Friday 4pm to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 3pm.

Children were required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to provide consent.

Mildura reported a further 142 positive cases of COVID-19 at the weekend to take the region’s number of active cases to 626.

Ninety-seven new cases were confirmed on Saturday and a further 45 on Sunday as COVID-19 hospitalisations continue to trend downwards in the state.

The Mildura local government area has recorded 5115 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

The Victorian Government is allowing private hospitals and day centres to restart non-urgent elective surgery at 50 per cent of normal levels from Monday.

Health authorities expect hospitalisations to keep falling but cases to either increase slightly or stabilise due to increased movement.