Where and when vaccines are available

After 13 months of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, Australia’s national vaccination program has finally begun today.

The first vaccination in Melbourne was by Ronda Stuart, Monash Health’s medical director for infection prevention.

Professor Stuart and her team treated Australia’s first coronavirus patient, a traveler who returned from the Chinese Wuhan pandemic Ground Zero last January.

she said ABC She was “proud” to be vaccinated and to help launch the “next chapter” of Australia’s anti-virus measures.

“And now our goal is to vaccinate all health care workers and then open them to the public,” she said.

“It’s amazing that we’ve reached the point where we can vaccinate people to protect themselves from it.”

February 22nd marks the official release date of the historic Deployment of vaccinationA few lucky people, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, had already received the jab over the weekend.

Elderly caregiver Jane Mariciak, 84, from Marayong, New South Wales, was the first person to receive a jab in the country.Morrison immediately received his shot at a television event.

Approximately 1.4 million doses will be given to those who are most likely to be in need in the coming weeks, including residents in senior care facilities and front-line medical and quarantine workers.

According to Health Minister Greg Hunt, up to 60,000 doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will be given just next week, and the government aims to attract all aspiring adults. Coronavirus vaccination By October.

Special vaccination clinics will be set up in hospitals in all states and territories, as well as in LTCFs and LTCFs throughout Australia.

The number of locations increases as more doses arrive in the country.

“We have always overcome this pandemic and have taken Australia’s unique path with considerable success compared to many other countries around the world,” Morrison said in a post-deployment statement. It is stated in.

“This vaccination program will launch us towards a break from the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic.

“All Australians are given the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which has been proven safe and effective by our own healthcare professionals, for free.”

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Morrison said the government’s top priority was to vaccinate “the most vulnerable people” and “the frontline workers who protect us all,” but everyone within a few months. He said he had a chance to get a free vaccination.

“When you roll out, COVID-19 vaccine We ask as many Australians as possible to be vaccinated nationwide to protect themselves, their families and their communities from this highly infectious disease, “he said.

Phase 1B of deployment will begin next month, with up to 14.8 million doses for people over 70, other healthcare professionals, Aboriginal and Torres Straits people over 55, and adults with underlying illness. Includes people with disabilities and important, high-risk workers in defense, police, firefighting, emergency services, meat processing and more.

Phase 2A targets adults aged 50-69 and other important and high-risk workers aged 18-54 years from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The rest of us can then get a jab in Phase 2B. Year.

Relation: Australia’s “NASA-like” COVID-19 vaccine program

Authorities are also considering potential Phase 3 involving children under the age of 16, if recommended.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said vaccines are prioritized “to be first accessible to the most endangered and the most vulnerable.”

“The Australian Government has provided clear advice on the phase of showing who can access when,” he said.

The Australian vaccination strategy begins with the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine, but will include the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine from March 2021.

The government has secured more than 150 million COVID-19 vaccines, and more than 50 million AstraZeneca ordered by the government will be manufactured in Melbourne.