A vaccination 'surge centre' has been set up inside the Altona Badminton Centre with the first round of vaccinations taking place this Saturday 4 September between 8am and 11.30am.
The surge centre will complement the great work already being undertaken by local doctors and pharmacists in administering COVID vaccines to the people of Hobsons Bay.
The surge centre is a unique model made possible by contributions from all tiers of government and a commitment from local clinicians to help deliver vaccines. It is led by the Commonwealth Vaccination Centre that is run by Dr Mukesh Haikerwal and his team at Circle Health in Altona North.
Local doctors, nurses and pharmacists who are keen to assist with our vaccination efforts will staff the centre. The vaccine surge centre will offer vaccination sessions based on staff and vaccine availability and demand. Western Health may also run some sessions from the centre.
Following the Premier's announcement that Victoria's lockdown restrictions will now be linked to vaccination targets, this is a critical step to increase the vaccinations available to residents in Hobsons Bay who want to get vaccinated.
The surge centre will offer Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines to people aged 12 and over. Bookings are essential and can be made through https://healthengine.com.au/book/86832. The centre will be piloted on Saturday, with the aim to offer more and longer sessions the following week. It will run for an initial period of one month and may be further extended.
Quotes attributable to Mayor of Hobsons Bay Cr Jonathon Marsden
"The Altona North and Newport communities are now dealing with over 130 active COVID cases and in Hobsons Bay we have more than 80 exposure sites. This is a grave concern for residents and Council. I thank the vast majority of our community who are doing the right thing – getting early testing, isolating, and following COVID-Safe rules and adhering to the restrictions.
"We know vaccine doses need to be shared across the state but there is a critical urgency to increase availability in Hobsons Bay to help contain this current outbreak. We are grateful for the support of the Victorian Government to provide vaccine doses and other support to make the 'surge centre' possible. We are also grateful to Dr Mukesh Haikerwal for his tireless efforts to advocate for and support our community through this pandemic.
"I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of our local businesses for promoting safety and support messages to the community. Many small businesses are doing it particularly tough and I encourage residents to support local businesses by doing the right thing and by shopping local.
"Council also offers a wide range of pandemic support to our community including our recently adopted $2 million Community Support Package. COVID support services from Council and organisations across Hobsons bay can be accessed through Council's Community Connector."
Quote attributable to Citizen of the Year Dr Mukesh Haikerwal
"I applaud Council for bringing together state and federal entities to bring more vaccinations for the citizens of Hobsons Bay."
