Barwon Health confirms COVID-19 vaccination hub will partner with South West Healthcare

The health service confirmed on Thursday they will run one of nine Pfizer vaccination hubs across Victoria as part of the initial rollout of the vaccinations across the country.

Professor Eugene Athan, Barwon South West public health unit director, said they have established a public health unit to oversee the program.

"Planning is underway across the region and we will be ready to commence immunisation of high risk groups as soon as supplies of the Pfizer vaccine are received," he said.

"We are well placed to manage the logistics of storage and distribution of the Pfizer product.

"We are fortunate to have access to the necessary low temperature freezers, through our research partnership with Deakin University, which is kindly loaning us the necessary equipment.

"Our public health unit was established last year and is currently focused on COVID-19, including prevention, testing, tracing and the major task of coordinating the COVID-19 vaccination program.

"This team is responsible for the entire Barwon South West region and is working with DHHS and local health providers to co-ordinate the rollout to regional areas, including Warrnambool, Hamilton and Portland."

It's estimated upwards of 330,000 people will be vaccinated throughout the immunisation program in the region.

READ MORE: South-west health services working on vaccination rollout plan

The first wave eligible for Pfizer will include immunisation team members, quarantine and border workers, frontline healthcare workers, and staff and residents in aged care and disability care.

Each recipient will require two doses at least three weeks apart.

South West Healthcare is working to commence immunisation as early as March, says chief executive Craig Fraser.

"Details are still being worked through on the implementation of this large rollout which will commence with the Pfizer vaccine to priority groups," he said.

"Ensuring the processes are consistent and safe across our region, as well as the logistics of vaccinating large groups has meant more planning has been required and we look forward to confirming dates as soon as possible."

Western District Health Service (WDHS) chief executive, Rohan Fitzgerald says depending on availability, the health service also expects to begin its staff and resident vaccination program in March.

"The first regional vaccinations will reduce the risk of healthcare workers, patients and aged care residents contracting the virus. Initially we expect to vaccinate over 350 staff and 160 aged care residents," he said.

The program will then expand to include 'at risk' people over the age of 70, other healthcare workers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 55, and Australians with an underlying medical condition or disability.

Based on the federal government's vaccine rollout strategy, the Astra-Zeneca vaccine, expected to be approved by the TGA in the coming weeks, will be rolled-out to the community in the next few months.

The community vaccination program will be a collaborative effort, with temporary mass vaccination sites likely to be set up and local GP clinics and pharmacies ensuring as many people as possible receive the vaccine by the government's October deadline.

Mr Fitzgerald says the roll-out poses a number of logistical challenges, but local providers are confident these can be overcome.

"We have over 16,000 residents in the region and ensuring we can deliver an effective, timely vaccination program, will require a whole of community effort. With people needing a minimum of two injections each, that's 30,000 plus vaccinations in our Shire alone".

Portland District Health chief executive Chris Giles said health services across the south-west were working hard to secure the vaccines for the region.

She said talks were underway to train local medical staff and GP clinics to administer the vaccine.

"We're acting on new information as we get it, it's a very quick and fluid process," she said.

"We're planning for both vaccines; Barwon Health will be a Pfizer hub so we're working out how to distribute the Pfizer vaccine to the appropriate risk groups and how to distribute AstraZeneca to the whole population and what the priority process is for that.

"For our staff we already have an influenza vaccination group who provide that for our staff every year, whilst it's a different vaccine process it's not going to be different for our staff - we have qualified staff here who can do it.

"For the wider community we're still working through who will be doing those programs."

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