Times
www.gippslandtimes.com.au
TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021
GIPPSLAND
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& MAFFRA SPECTATOR
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NEW FINES
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STATE GOVT DENIES HOSPITALS
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INSIDE
PropertyGuide GippslandTimes
New clinic opening at GRSC next week:
Pfizer for many under-50s
It was a top day out at Tinamba Food and Wine Festival on Sunday as more than a thousand people gathered in the street to sample some local top drops and socialise. After the festival was cancelled last year because of the pandemic, people were keen to get out his year and enjoy the festival vibe. One of the organisers said she had never seen so many people up and dancing, adding it was “a great atmosphere”. Stallholders were also delighted with the turn-out. Pictured from left are Ruth Hodge, Brooke Ericson, Sally Howson and Tanya Murphy, all from Maffra. More photos in Friday’s Gippsland Times. Photo: Contributed
This is in addition to many more healthcare and aged care workers, hotel quarantine and border workers and others who are already eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine if they are aged under 50. Established by the Gippsland Region Public Health Unit based at Latrobe Regional Hospital, the clinic at Gippsland Regional Sports Complex will have the capacity to vaccinate up to 400 people a day, depending on vaccine supplies. LRH information and regional services executive director Jon Millar said the Sale clinic would gradually scale up operations when it opened next week. “While we’ve learnt a lot from running our community clinic in Traralgon, we appreciate this is a new venue for our team so we plan to take our time in building our capacity and schedule of appointments day by day,” he said. “Initially, the clinic will be open three days a week.” Mr Millar said the public health unit vaccination team would have the support of Central Gippsland Health staff to run the new clinic. “We expect up to 10 qualified staff at the GRSC each day,” he added. The Sale facility will be one of six community clinics in
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Gippsland. A clinic is already operating successfully at the Traralgon Racecourse, while another in Wonthaggi will open in a fortnight. The Traralgon clinic has administered vaccines to more than 1000 people since it opened on April 14. Victoria is working closely with the federal government, which is leading the roll-out to provide more options for the administration of vaccines to people with disabilities. The Commonwealth has advised it will retain responsibility for in-reach services within residential disability care homes. People who are aged under 50 years who are eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine currently must make a booking by phoning 1800 675 398. Open-access vaccination centres continue to offer AstraZeneca to all Victorians aged over 50, including through walk-in appointments where available. To view the full list of specified underlying health conditions under the Commonwealth’s eligibility criteria, visit health. gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/ covid-19-vaccines/phase-1b
More information about locations, vaccine and walk-in access Continued page 3
After an arduous, 2 week canoe trip down the Zambezi river, Steve Walsh and family were relieved to step on to firm ground in Kanyemba, hence the name..... .
The meaning of Kanyemba...Part 2 next week
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Food, wine fest triumph
THE federal government’s COVID-19 vaccination program is expanding in Victoria, with a blitz planned for the coming month following delivery of more Pfizer vaccine, the opening of more open-access vaccination centres, and hundreds of thousands of Victorians under 50 now able to access the vaccine. It comes as access to the Pfizer vaccine will be offered in Sale for the first time from next Monday, at Wellington’s first COVID-19 vaccine community clinic to open at the Gippsland Regional Sports Complex. From yesterday, Victorians aged under 50 in a number of priority groups will be able to receive the Pfizer vaccine at more vaccination centres across Victoria, including critical and high-risk workers such as emergency services workers, Australian Defence Force personnel and licenced meat and seafood processing workers; adults with specified underlying health conditions, or severe mental health conditions; disability services workers and carers of people with disabilities, both paid and unpaid; paid and unpaid carers of people who are aged over 70, or who have specified underlying medical conditions, and public-facing transport workers, including public transport, taxi and ride share drivers.