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TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
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SHAKESPEARE LOCAL SERVICES FESTIVAL ANZAC DAY PAGE 5
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Get vaccinated, Drs urge LOCAL doctors are urging residents to have confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine program as vaccination rates plummet and “misinformation” about safety spreads. Registered vaccination clinics and GPs across Wellington Shire have reported a drop in the number of patients seeking the vaccination since it was revealed that unusual blood clots had developed in a small number of people who received the
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The rare disorder has resulted in a change of advice from health authorities, who no longer recommend AstraZeneca for Australians aged under 50. At its height of up to 200 vaccinations a day, the Wellington Respiratory Clinic is now down to vaccinating 50 to 100 a day. Clinic doctor David Monash said vaccine-related clotting in some patients in Europe and two confirmed cases in Australian had given ‘’anti vaxxers” and certain elements of the media the
ammunition to “spread false information” and derail the vaccination program. Dr Monash said the exaggeration of the risks had caused uncertainty in the general population, causing some people who should be receiving the vaccine to now hesitate. “There has been a lot of bad publicity and people don’t know what to do,” he said. “We have had people who swear they’ll never get the vaccine now, so we have to get the right message out and restore confidence.” At the Wellington Respiratory Clinic, specially
Nyulla Safi, accidental artist Former Australian Army soldier, Seaspray resident Nyulla Safi, turned to art in 2019 as a form of post-traumatic stress disorder therapy. Now she’s receiving requests to exhibit her work in galleries in Australia and abroad. Full story, page 10. Photo: Liz Bell
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trained staff are vaccinating between 50 to 100 patients a day. The clinic is on the verge of opening a new vaccination facility next door to its Inglis Street premises so it can potentially vaccinate up to 300 people per day. Dr Monash said people should resist the urge to panic and stop “misreading” the risks associated with AstraZeneca. “This is standard practise to advise people of side effects, but people are misreading this,” he said. Dr Monash said the vaccine had come under intense scrutiny, and that “politics” was clouding the debate. “You have more chance of winning the lottery that developing blood clots, but parts of the media and the anti vaxxers have overblown this,” he said. “It’s safe and it’s necessary.” Other GP practices in the shire are also experiencing a drop off in eagerness to be vaccinated. While not wanting to reveal numbers, a spokesperson for Stratford Medical Centre said there had been a substantial fall in vaccination bookings and enquiries since news emerged about the blood clotting illness. “People are still getting the vaccine, but it really has dropped off because of the misinformation,” she said. At the Johnson Street Clinic in Maffra, which is only vaccinating current patients at this stage, numbers have also fallen and patients are questioning more, according to practice manager Karen Gray. “We did have a couple who took their names off the booking list once the blood clotting news was in the media,” she said. “But we continue to get interest and we are vaccinating any of our patients who fit the criteria and want the vaccine.” Sale GP anaesthetist and president of the Rural Doctors Association of Victoria, Rob Phair, said the association encouraged everyone to book in for their COVID vaccines as soon as eligible, and discuss their options with their GP. “All of our patients have different needs — so as GPs we’re having lots of different conversations,” he said. Continued page 4
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