![Port of Portland entry workers will receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination next week. Picture: Anthony Brady Port of Portland entry workers will receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination next week. Picture: Anthony Brady](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Kyra.Gillespie/2f4a0eb7-342a-455a-a083-66d21b27ff75.jpg/r0_0_1200_677_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
PORTLAND workers will be among the first to receive the Pfizer vaccine in Victoria from Monday.
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Barwon South West Public Health Unit director Professor Eugene Athan said Barwon Health is well prepared for the first vaccination on Monday.
"Our Public Health Unit (PHU) has been working towards this day for many weeks now and we are confident the vaccination program will run smoothly on Monday," Professor Athan said.
"We expect to immunise more than 100 healthcare workers on Monday from high-risk areas like emergency departments and intensive care units at University Hospital Geelong, Epworth Hospital and St John of God.
"Staff and residents in Barwon Health's aged care facilities will also receive the vaccine next week.
"Initially, around 2000 people will receive vaccinations in the first phase of the Pfizer roll-out over the coming weeks at Geelong and via an outreach model in Portland."
People will require two appointments to obtain a vaccination certificate, with a follow-up booking made when the first immunisation takes place.
"The vaccine has been rigorously tested and is proven to be safe and effective at preventing serious illness and death related to COVID-19," Professor Athan said.
Portland District Health chief executive officer Christine Giles said the jabs were likely to reach arms in Portland the week after next.
![Portland District Health chief executive officer Christine Giles said the jabs were likely to reach arms in Portland the week after next. Picture: Morgan Hancock Portland District Health chief executive officer Christine Giles said the jabs were likely to reach arms in Portland the week after next. Picture: Morgan Hancock](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Kyra.Gillespie/4dfb3b84-8237-4954-92e0-2ae6279f93e1.jpg/r0_0_1017_678_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"The vaccine will come here the week after we believe as it has to be in ultra-cold storage," she said.
"We believe our workers will be part of it and potentially any aged care residents in the Portland Hospital as well.
"Clearly like any vaccination program you don't vaccinate the whole group in one go, so it will be progressively rolled out over a few weeks."
Ms Giles said a reduction in GPs in Portland could lead to clinics becoming "overstretched".
"The GPs will play an important role but we don't want them to become overstretched," she said.
"We've lost a few GPs in Portland recently, their time is valuable so we have to make the rollout happen efficiently."
Active Health Portland is one of several GP Practices with plans to become part of the COVID-19 vaccination program.
GP Marg Garde said all clinics needed to meet a suite of criteria to become an approved vaccination clinic during the second phase of the roll-out, following the first phase for frontline health workers and people in nursing homes.
![Portland GP Marg Garde said all GP clinics needed to meet a suite of criteria to become an approved vaccination clinic during the second phase of the rollout, following the first phase for frontline health workers and people in nursing homes. Portland GP Marg Garde said all GP clinics needed to meet a suite of criteria to become an approved vaccination clinic during the second phase of the rollout, following the first phase for frontline health workers and people in nursing homes.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Kyra.Gillespie/4c31301e-6b08-4727-8d7a-78e5ec20599c.jpg/r0_0_272_400_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
General practices will need to have designated 'vaccine clinics' to maximise rapid vaccine uptake and minimise wastage and provide a clinical model of care.
All providers administering a COVID-19 vaccine will need to have undertaken routine immunisation training specific to their health profession, as well as COVID-19 vaccine specific training.
Other requirements include vaccine storage capacity, dedicated areas to counsel people about the vaccine, possible side-effects and the phases of the rollout,
Dr Garde said the first phase of the vaccination program would be in hospitals or existing dedicated COVID respiratory clinics in general practices.
It was originally intended to start phase two in GP clinics in late March but Dr Garde said no date had been confirmed.
Dr Garde urged everyone in the community to seriously consider taking the vaccine when it is offered.
"There has been a hurry to get these vaccines on the ground, but we know they will be safe because they have been approved by the Therapeutic Good Administration (TGA)," she said.
"They are safe for the community but like the flu vaccine there may be minor side-effects, particularly with the second dose."
Minister for Health Martin Foley said on Friday workers most at risk of contracting COVID-19 would be the first Victorians vaccinated under the Commonwealth's COVID-19 vaccination program.
"When it comes to the hotel quarantine workers, port of entry workers, frontline staff, these are the groups that are most likely to be at the forefront of that international facing risks and they will be the ones in this first Commonwealth phase 1A, as they are calling it," he said.
"We will also commence the public sector residential aged care testing, whilst the Commonwealth will be responsible for the significantly larger private residential aged care sector."
There were three new cases of coronavirus recorded in Victoria on Friday.
READ MORE: Three new local COVID-19 cases in Victoria
COVID-19 vaccines receive regulatory approval in Australia
![Portland workers among first to receive COVID-19 vaccination next week Portland workers among first to receive COVID-19 vaccination next week](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Kyra.Gillespie/bbd3af48-79ba-4ff2-85dd-32470e821858.jpg/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Commonwealth has allocated 12,000 initial doses of the Pfizer vaccine for use at the hospital vaccination hubs in the first week of the program, with the Commonwealth set to provide 59,000 doses of the vaccine to Victoria across the first four weeks.
The Pfizer vaccine was the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive Commonwealth regulatory approval from the TGA in Australia.
Two doses of the vaccine will be provided at least three weeks apart. The vaccine must be stored and transported at -70°C.
The AstraZeneca vaccine was approved by the TGA on February 16.
The first doses of this vaccine are expected to be available for use in March.
As Victoria receives increased vaccine supplies of both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, the rollout will progress through to phase 1b, 2a and 2b priority groups.
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