The Victorian government has made an extra push to boost the lagging vaccination rates for those with a disability.
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The state government has pledged $5 million to launch the pop-up vaccination centres across October, which will allow disabled residents to come forward to get the jab without a booking.
In regional areas they will be given special access at existing state-run centres.
Victorian minister for aged care and disabilities Luke Donnellan said the Victorian vaccination rate for those with disabilities was better than the national average but it was not good enough.
"It is just not acceptable where it is at the moment, " Mr Donnellan said.
"We can't open up and we have got people living with disabilities, with vulnerabilities if they are not at a high rate of vaccination, and that is what we are pushing to do today.
"We are launching 10 dedicated disability pop-ups in areas of concern and our liaison service by 16 extra officers.
"This deals on a wide range of existing help available to help people living with the disability and their loved ones and carers of course to come forward and protect themselves, their family and their community."
As of September 30, more than 71 percent of Victorian NDIS participants aged 16 and over have received their first dose of the COVID-19 compared to 67 percent of the national average.
Martin Heng a travel writer who has been confined to a wheelchair after a car accident fronted the media on Thursday to argue passionately for all those with a disability to get their dose.
"I think it is everybody's social and moral obligation to get vaccinated, not just against coronavirus," Mr Heng said.
"Vaccination works and vaccination has allowed us to eradicate some really horrible diseases in the world, and the thing is that, as a person with disability, I am much more likely to be mixing with other people with disabilities who are also in a high-risk group."
"I would find it very irresponsible not to be vaccinated," Mr Heng said.
"I would be devastated to think I was part of a transmission chain that led to someone else who was in a high risk category either been hospitalised or, even worse, dying. I could never live with myself if that was the case, and that would just be a responsible behaviour because of a bad choice on my behalf."
Mr Heng also advocated for the vaccination uptake as the best way people can potentially look forward to travel again.
"We're not going to be able to open up to the rest of the world or get our Australian citizens home again," he said.
"I worked for Lonely Planet. I love travelling and there is no way we will be travelling until vaccination rates are high enough. Right now, I am waiting for Cairns to open so we can go and get some nice weather."
On Thursday Victoria has added another 1638 cases in a single day along with two deaths.
Case numbers may have dropped sightly for the second day since Tuesday's national record of new daily cases, but the expected high numbers continue.
The two new deaths bring the total number of deaths from the pandemic to 1370.
The number of active infections in the state is now 15,074.
A huge number of Victorians were tested yesterday for the virus with 77, 238 test processed, while another 36, 672 vaccinations were administered at state-run sites.
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Anyone who has visited a contact exposure site is urged to get tested immediately and isolate: until negative results are returned for tier two and for 14 days if tier one.
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In Melbourne authorities are racing to identify all vulnerable young patients who were exposed to a COVID-19 outbreak at a Melbourne children's hospital cancer ward.
A patient's parent spent at least four days at the Royal Children's Hospital in Parkville while infectious, with the exposure period stretching from October 1 to October 4.
A hospital spokeswoman said contact tracing was still underway on Wednesday night, and as a result these dates may change.
The hospital's Kookaburra cancer care ward has been identified as a tier one exposure site, and its main street walkway has been listed as a tier two site for September 26.
RCH chief executive Bernadette McDonald said all affected patients, parents or carers have been placed into single rooms at the hospital to quarantine for 14 days, with contact tracing for all others underway.
No children in the cancer ward had tested positive as of Wednesday evening, but the hospital has 12 COVID-positive patients in its care, four in other wards and eight being treated at home.
Ms McDonald said some children are turning up to the hospital with other illnesses or injuries and then testing positive for COVID.
But she said: "We're not seeing extreme illness in children."
Where can I get tested: Click here to see where you can get a COVID test.
It comes as Victoria recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic's third wave, after 11 people were reported to have died with COVID-19 on Wednesday. The state also reported 1420 new locally acquired cases.
The state government has announced Victorians stranded in the ACT and NSW will be able to return home as border restrictions eased overnight.
Areas considered red zones in NSW and the ACT have been downgraded to orange zones, allowing residents and non-residents to enter Victoria if they take a test within 72 hours of arrival and isolate until receiving a negative result.
Meanwhile, extreme risk zone classifications for locked-down areas such as Greater Sydney have been downgraded to red, meaning people can return if they isolate at home for 14 days.
- with AAP
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