(Photo: Bunya Pines)
March 22, 2021
Vaccinations against COVID-19 received a big “thumbs up” from the first group to receive their injections in Kingaroy on Monday.
Sixteen people in the “Priority 1b” category received the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine at the Bunya Pines Family Practice in Haly Street.
Dr Robyn Ogle said Bunya Pines would be able to handle 400 vaccinations a week.
She urged everyone who was eligible to receive the vaccine to do so.
“You don’t need to fear the vaccine,” Dr Ogle said. “But you do need to fear the disease.”
She said statistics showed that in Australia, one-in-three people over 80 who became infected with the COVID-19 virus died.
Dr Ogle said the fact she had vaccinated her parents – who are in the eligible category – as soon as possible should convince anyone who was hesitant about the safety of the injection.
“It’s the start of the end of what we have all been going through,” she said.
Dr Ogle urged people to check their eligibility to receive a vaccination online
If eligible, they can then input their postcode, select a clinic and book an appointment.
Dr Ogle said older people could ask a relative to help them book the appointment online, or they could come into the Bunya Pines surgery and staff could do the paperwork.
Nanango Medical Centre, in Fitzroy Street, is also among the first clinics in Australia to be able to carry out the vaccinations from Monday.
A second Kingaroy GP clinic, Taabinga Family Practice, will begin doing vaccinations next week.
* * *
In Phase 1b, eligible recipients are:
- Elderly adults aged 80 years and over
- Elderly adults aged 70-79 years
- Other health care workers (not in Phase 1a)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults over 55
- Adults with a specified medical condition
- Adults with a disability who have a specified underlying medical condition
- Critical and high-risk workers including defence, police, fire, emergency services and meat processing
* * *
- External link: Vaccine Eligibility Checker
- Related article: Vaccine Rollout To Begin
