One month after Phase 1B COVID-19 vaccinations were made available to Mid-Western Region residents, Phase 2A is now on hand for the next sector of patrons.
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Since opening the doors to the local vaccination hub in the later stages of March, the Mudgee location has vaccinated approximately 1800 people, predominantly those belonging to the Phase 1B category.
"The Phase 2A roll out for the 50 to 70-year-old age group for the COVID vaccinations have been moved forward, in fact, this has already commenced in Mudgee as of May 3," South Mudgee Surgery GP, Dr Alex Ghanem said.
"The numbers [Phase 1B, Phase 2A] encompass different sectors of the population. Phase 1B is a category for those who are more vulnerable, those over the age of 70 and front line workers, then we have the next most vulnerable group in Phase 2A.
"We are staggering the vaccination process so we don't overwhelm the system, there's a large number of people to vaccinate."
In the wake of the devastating scenes overseas, Dr Ghanem is urging those eligible to seriously consider where they stand with the vaccine.
"It's time. We can see what's happening in countries like India and South America, we're lagging behind in our vaccination process in Australia. We would like to see a lot more people vaccinated," he said.
"One day our borders will be open, our current quarantine system is not perfect, we've seen COVID leaks.
This is something that is here to stay. We need to think about what we're going to do about this as individuals.
- South Mudgee Surgery GP, Dr Alex Ghanem
Dr Ghanem acknowledged the reports of serious side effects that have occurred in patients after receiving their dose, but said there are risks in everything we do each day.
"There is a risk with everything we do whether it's travelling to work, or participating in recreational activities," Dr Ghanem said.
"We're all aware there are potential complications with vaccinations. The most common thing we see with the AstraZeneca vaccine is about 50 per cent of people will experience local reactions, it's usually over within 24 to 48 hours.
"We're all aware of the risk of clotting, we think that is somewhere in the four to six per million. It is true there have been deaths, it's very rare but we need to balance that with the risk of disease. It has also come to light that most people that have had clotting episodes are now back at home and some have returned to work.
"Not only is there a risk of serious illness and death with COVID, it's emerging that some people end up with chronic long term health problems following COVID infection.
"We need to weigh up the risks of the vaccine versus what if we had an outbreak?"
Those eligible who wish to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, can do so by booking online via hotdoc or phoning 6362 4031.
The vaccination hub is located at the Mudgee Showground Pavilion, with appointments available for anyone over 50 years of age each Monday and Tuesday.
If you have received the flu shot or another vaccination, you will need to wait two weeks before receiving your COVID dose, vice versa.
Following the appointment, you will be required to stay behind for 15 minutes to be monitored for any reactions.
To determine whether you are eligible for Phase 2A, visit https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility.
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