Ballarat's mass vaccination centre at the Mercure will be joined by other new centres across the state, including regional locations like Bendigo, Wodonga and Shepparton as the roll out ramps up from Monday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The BHS vaccination program has so far seen around 7500 people inoculated against COVID 19 with eligibility for vaccinations to expand from Monday.
From Monday more than 33,000 people in Ballarat will now qualify in the new categories over over 50 years of age and other special categories.
In its first week of operation around 150 to 160 people a day received the vaccine at the BHS Community Vaccination Centre at the Mercure. The expansion last week to include over 70s and walk-in appointments saw demand double to around 300 a day.
BHS chief executive Dale Fraser said with over 50s becoming eligible for the vaccine from Monday, and those under 50 who work in private aged care homes, demand was likely to double again.
"We have seen good uptake but we are still nowhere near full capacity," he said. "There have been some challenges with the 1800 booking number but people can still choose to walk in. There may be a slight wait but by and large staff are getting through demand pretty quickly with maybe a 20 to 25 minute delay in peak times."
Mr Fraser said there were enough staff ready for the expansion of the program, with the main challenge so far in securing enough pharmacists and pharmacy staff to oversee the complicated process of storage and distribution of the vaccine.
Bookings are preferred. Call 1800 675 398.
