VIC Premier
The Victorian government is taking immediate action to protect people living in residential facilities with disabilities, residents of private elderly care facilities and employees with a vaccination flash to ensure workers in these vulnerable facilities are protected from the coronavirus.
From Wednesday June 2 through Sunday June 6, workers in private elderly care facilities and the disabled sector managed by the Commonwealth will be given priority access to walk-in vaccination centers in Victoria between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. upon presentation of evidence of employment.
While the Commonwealth will continue to be responsible for the accessibility of residential facilities with disabilities, Victoria will also work with providers to support access to government vaccination centers to increase the current low level of immunization.
Outbreaks across Australia have shown how quickly the coronavirus can spread in these sensitive facilities – and while all public sector residential aged care centers have been visited by government outreach teams for initial doses of vaccine, private facilities have lower vaccination rates and are significantly more prone to persistent outbreaks .
Employees are entitled to Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines, depending on their age. Priority access is ensured through active queue management. The following vaccination centers take part in the 5-day flash:
- Royal Exhibition Building
- Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center (MCEC)
- Sandown Racecourse
- Melbourne Showgrounds
- Former Ford factory – Geelong
- Bendigo community clinic
- Ballarat Mercure Hotel and Convention Center
- Shepparton Showgrounds – McIntosh Center
- Traralgon Racecourse
- Wodonga Vaccination Center
Elderly care and disabled employees can already get vaccinated in the state centers and can continue to visit them at any time during opening hours. However, this five-day flash of priority access ensures that they can be vaccinated quickly during peak periods and do not need to be booked in advance.
National Disability Insurance Participants and other community members currently eligible for the vaccination program can also get their vaccinations at government vaccination centers.
All sites have a minimum standard of accessibility, with nine sites across the state to be set up as centers for improved accessibility. If you can get to a vaccination center, we strongly encourage Victorians with a disability to make a booking.
Victoria had a record vaccination last week. In the week ending Sunday, May 30, 95,676 doses were administered through government centers – a 66 percent increase from the previous week.
Since the Victorian government expanded vaccine eligibility in state sites to 40-49 year olds on May 28, more than 22,000 Victorians in that age group have received their first dose of the vaccine.
The vaccine capacity will increase with the supply. Victorians are encouraged to continue booking their vaccination appointments through the coronavirus hotline at 1800 675 398 or to visit walk-up centers if they are over 50 years old.
According to Minister of Health Martin Foley
“Victorians got vaccinated for the past week – now we step in to ensure that those who work in our most vulnerable environments have priority access to a vaccine to protect our most vulnerable groups.”
“We saw firsthand the devastating effects of the coronavirus on our elderly and disabled care – besides testing and isolation, vaccination is the best way to protect the most vulnerable Victorians.”
As the Minister for Disability, Aging and Care, Luke Donnellan. Stated
“All dedicated and hardworking geriatric carers and disabled people need easy access to the vaccine, so we’re making it easier for them.”
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