Meet those riding the jab front roller coaster
NURSE Kirrily Caldow took medical student Ryan Brown through the basics for his first day in the city's largest COVID-19 vaccination centre on Monday. In the back of her mind, she could hardly believe it was one year ago the first Ballarat residents rolled up their sleeves for protection.
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Ms Caldow was in the fleet delivering vaccinations to the city's aged care residents and staff. She said it felt like a lifetime ago and she had learnt so much since that moment.
"It's been an absolute roller coaster, lots of ebbs and flows," Ms Caldow said. "We had lots of people wanting vaccinations to begin with, and wanting them straight away, but now we're at the tail end and people are not as enthusiastic - and we've had everything in between."
Never did Ms Caldow imagine how the pandemic would evolve. Or, that she would still be jabbing one year on.
Originally an occupational health nurse by trade, Ms Caldow signed up as an immuniser to take on a role that would "go down in history".
One year in, Ms Caldow is stepping up as a regional nurse educator in COVID-19 vaccinations across Grampians Health.
I remember considering I'd like to be involved, maybe as a side hustle...I've been doing this a year and it feels like a long longer.
- Kirrily Caldow, Grampians Health regional nurse educator
"I remember considering I'd like to be involved, maybe as a side hustle...I've been doing this a year and it feels like a long longer," Ms Caldow said.
"We're still going in aged care and we're a lot more mobile now, going out to schools and (Ballarat) Swap Meet and we're doing O'Week with Federation University this week.
"The best thing about the 12 months is the team we've had here - a lovely blend of different nurses and dentists and experiences."
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Mr Brown looked forward to what he would learn from the experience in joining Ballarat's COVID-19 vaccination centre based at The Mercure.
COVID-19 had not be heard about when he started studying to be a doctor with University of Melbourne four years ago. By the time he started clinical training, Mr Brown said he had not experienced a hospital setting without coronavirus.
He joins the vaccination hub after a summer working in contact tracing and having only delivered two needles in placements.
"Needs have changed with a focus on health and vaccinations. My placements have not been as hands-on as this will, because of COVID restrictions," Mr Brown said.
"Part of this is procedural but it's also great experience in talking to people.
"We don't typically get a lot of experience in public health in our studies - there's a lot on diseases - but this is so much broader and I find it really interesting."
Ms Caldow and Mr Brown were not sure what might unfold next but they were ready for whatever turn the vaccination roll-out might take.
More than 70 per cent of eligible people in the Grampians had received a COVID-19 booster vaccination and the region boasts one of the highest responses for children's jabs.
How we got here - One year on
CALM and unfazed, James Thomas Court residents Elizabeth Lowday and Joan Armstrong were among the first in Ballarat to roll up their sleeves against the deadly coronavirus.
They did so with aged care and urgent frontline workers made a top priority amid widespread vaccine shortages, ongoing community fatigue and uncertainty in lockdowns - and well before Delta and Omicron hit Ballarat.
Today marks one year since the first official Pfizer shots were given in this city.
Grampians Public Health Unit has delivered almost 226,000 jabs in a year to state-run programs across the Central Highlands and the Wimmera.
This has mostly been matched in Commonwealth-funded vaccination programs in the region, such as UFS' COVID-19 clinic, Ballarat Community Health, pharmacies and general practice.
Grampians Public Health Unit operations manager Robyn Wilson said there had been plenty of hurdles, from vaccine shortages and juggling staff numbers across the health sector to weather interruptions on sites, the public turning away from AstraZeneca and anger towards staff on vaccine mandates.
Ms Wilson praised the Ballarat community's response and said it was strength in support - a full team effort - that put this city ahead in jabs, particularly compared to some metropolitan regions.
"City council has been great support, health organisations, multicultural and faith groups, schools and other communities, the disability sector and industry: we couldn't possibly have responded to COVID-19 for the whole of the region the way we did without them," Ms Wilson said.
"We've met every week since last February with Ballarat Community Health, UFS, the primary health network, multicultural leaders, BADAC [Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative], council, police and Ambulance Victoria to try and break barriers to vaccinations."
Ms Wilson said vaccine delivery was becoming increasingly mobile with the development of in-reach programs to vulnerable people and pop-ups, in partnership with youth mental health organisation Headspace and people in high-risk accommodation with Uniting Ballarat.
More than 70 per cent of eligible residents, aged 16-plus, in the Grampians region have received a COVID-19 booster. Ballarat's paediatric jabs, for children aged five to 11, has also been about 10 per cent higher than the state average.
This comes as a fourth vaccine option, the protein-based Novavax, became available to adults last week, along with mRNA vaccine Moderna for children in some pharmacies and GP clinics in Ballarat.
Grampians Health, formerly known as Ballarat Health Services, has run a vaccination centre at The Mercure since April. While boosters remain in demand, staff were preparing for the second-dose wave of children's jabs to pick up from next week.
As to what was coming up, Ms Wilson said to "watch this space" for children aged under-five - the last cohort to gain jab protection.
There were 1250 known active cases of COVID-19 in Ballarat as of Monday morning.
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