NOW is the time to get jabbed against the deadly coronavirus while wait times are short and the threat remains "very real" in Victoria, Ballarat Health Services' vaccine lead says.
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The BHS-led mass vaccination clinic has slowed to half its operating capacity one week out of hard lockdown in regional Victoria.
BHS Grampians Public Health Unit operations director Robyn Wilson is calling for anyone eligible for vaccinations to make the most of the lull, also sounding her concerns a widespread complacency might start to creep into the community.
Ms Wilson, who also manages contract tracing for the Grampians region, said there were "definitely" people in regional Victoria that had been exposed to the state's latest COVID-19 outbreak.
"COVID still alive and well, unfortunately," Ms Wilson said. "We are managing 500 people exposed to the virus from Melbourne sites. There's a lot of people exposed to the virus.
"We need a lot of people vaccinated from the virus to protect our community, to protect our health services, to protect our aged care and vulnerable communities and to protect us, our families".
Wait times for walk-in vaccinations have been less than 15 minutes this at the BHS vaccination clinic, based at the Mercure Hotel in Main Road. This is for AstraZeneca jabs for over-50s only.
Anyone eligible for a Pfizer vaccination, including anyone aged 40-49, must book ahead.
The BHS clinic was averaging about 900 vaccinations daily last week and this dropped to about 600 people on Monday.
BHS has increased staffing at the clinic in a bid to get more people inoculated, particularly during government priorities for aged care workers or paramedics.
Bacchus Marsh couple Michael and Dianne Pigott said there was never any question about whether they would book in for their AstraZeneca vaccines.
Ms Pigott said they were away all May and made it their priority to book in as soon as they arrived home. Their general practice in Bacchus Marsh was focused on over-70s, so the couple made the trip to Ballarat.
Ms Pigott said the whole process was smooth: she called the booking hotline, had a short wait, booked in for Ballarat the next day and was impressed with the efficiency and care in the clinic.
"I was expecting more people, for it to be really busy," Ms Pigott said. "I think it's really important people get it to get over this horrible time we're having."
Anyone needing to book an AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine must call the Victorian Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398, which is open 8am to 10pm daily.
For those having trouble getting through on the hotline, Ms Pigott suggested trying later in the evening.
Media have also reported success for people calling a new, unpublicised government covronavirus hotline: 1800 571 121.
BHS and its partner health services had delivered 30,000 COVID-19 jabs across the Grampians region. This includes about 1000 via the Ararat-based East Grampians Health Services and its work with community GPs.
Ms Wilson urged anyone with concerns about the vaccination to speak to their GP or the doctor on site in the Ballarat clinic. BHS is under strict rules for vaccine eligibility. Ms Wilson said about two in three people with concerns about AstraZeneca vaccine chose to proceed after talking to BHS staff.
BHS' mass vaccination site is taking booking for the Queen's Birthday long weekend.
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