What's happening

Vaccination clinic in Victor Harbor will deliver 700 vaccine doses per week

Published on Jul 02, 2021

To increase the rollout and availability of COVID-19 vaccines, the state government has established a vaccination clinic at the Gospel Centre on 2 George Main Road, Victor Harbor (opposite the High School).

The clinic which opened on Monday, July 5, will be able to deliver 700 vaccine doses a week. It will have available 500 Pfizer and 200 AstraZenaca vaccines.

Member for Finniss David Basham said Fleurieu Peninsula residents would now have better access to the COVID-19 vaccine with the new vaccination clinic opening in Victor Harbor.

"The new vaccination clinic at Victor Harbor is a significant step up in the Marshall Liberal Government's delivery of our vaccination rollout," Mr Basham said.

"The vaccination is our pathway out of the pandemic, which is why our government is doing everything we can to rollout our program quickly, but safely.

"My message to everyone who is eligible is to roll up your sleeve and get the jab to not only protect your health, but the health of those around you. With many other states in lockdown, it is now more important than ever for people to get vaccinated and help stop the spread of COVID-19."

To book visit www.covidvaccine.sa.gov.au and follow the prompts. Please contact the Finniss electorate office for any questions on 8552 2152.

Residents aged 16 to 59 can receive the Pfizer vaccine from Saturdays until Wednesdays and those aged 60 or over can receive the AstraZenaca vaccine on Thursdays and Fridays.

The Victor Harbor Clinic will replace the smaller clinic at Southern Fleurieu Health Service and will operate seven days a week. Appointments are open at both the Victor Harbor and Mount Barker clinics.

Vaccinations in the region are also available at the local GP.

Access to the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine has also been significantly expanded in July with clinics opened at Mount Barker and Gawler and 2000 more Pfizer vaccination appointments will be made available per week at Wayville.

Premier Steven Marshall said the announcement would eventually provide 6500 additional vaccination appointments per week to help meet increasing demand.

"We are committed to expanding our COVID-19 vaccination rollout to keep South Australians safe and our economy strong," Mr Marshall said.

"The three new clinics at Gawler, Mount Barker and Victor Harbor will eventually add capacity for 4500 more appointments per week, while an additional 2000 appointments at Wayville will increase capacity at the facility to 12,000 vaccinations per week.

"South Australians are stepping forward and rolling up their sleeve to get vaccinated. Last week was a record week with more than 61,000 vaccinations administered across South Australia and today we are scaling up further to ensure even more people can access the vital vaccine."

Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said that demand for the extra appointments at Wayville and the new clinics is expected to be high.

"Appointment availability is extremely dynamic and changes each day as people make bookings, people cancel bookings and capacity is adjusted in line with demand and supply," Mr Wade said.

"If someone tries to go online today and can't access any appointments, we recommend they come back to the website often and refresh the website as availability can change quickly and vacancies can come up at short notice.

"The vaccination program is the doorway out of the pandemic, and that's why the Marshall Liberal Government committed $86 million in last week's State Budget to ensure SA Health will have the resources they need to be able to pivot where required to get this vital vaccine into the arms of South Australians."

SA Health's Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, said vaccinations are the best form of prevention.

"The vaccines have been designed to help you fight off COVID-19 before it makes you sick, and to reduce the severity of your symptoms if you do get sick," Professor Spurrier said.

"Especially given what's going on in other jurisdictions at the moment, it is now more important than ever for everyone to roll up to get vaccinated to play their part in stopping the spread of COVID-19."

Mr Wade said data showed that while vaccination numbers continued to increase across the state, there were still areas which needed a further focus in helping people book in and get their vaccination.

"It was great to see record numbers of South Australians rolling up their sleeves and we want that trend to continue. We will continue to do everything we can to help fast track the COVID-19 vaccination rollout and ensure SA Health has the flexibility to continue to pivot where required to get this vital vaccine into the arms of South Australians," he said.

To find out more about COVID-19 vaccinations, visit covidvaccine.sa.gov.au

TEXT FROM THE VICTOR HARBOR TIMES

Vaccination clinic in Victor Harbor will deliver 700 vaccine doses per week