Some readers have had trouble with the small print but we have been unable to find sufficient column inches for the full and reliable stories to be told. Which bits should I not tell? I must try harder to do less.
I hesitate to offer up the number of successfully vaccinated folk who have come through the Yarrawonga Vaccination Centre because it will be out of date by tomorrow but the most recent figures are 3917 - first doses and 2983 - second doses.
The second dose tells us how many are fully vaccinated, the best possible protection of more than 90% antibody response, and an almost guaranteed avoidance of admission to intensive care or worse, in the event of getting the virus despite all measures.
The first dose figure gives us great hope because they will nearly all be back for the second dose and full protection, albeit in a few weeks. The others in our community have either gone elsewhere for vaccination or are missing in action somewhere. Nameless, faceless, possibly frightened souls, but not completely beyond our help.
The Yarrawonga Vaccination Centre runs daily clinics, sometimes twice daily, for one vaccine or the other. We might run out of vaccines, or run out of patients, but we won’t run out of conviction to get all the willing people vaccinated somehow.
Sometimes vaccines are diverted to more needy hot spots, but this shows a lack of understanding about how vaccines work as a protective measure with a delayed response. All done in an organized orderly manner, without the overwhelming daily counts of positive cases.
This is what we are doing in Yarrawonga to provide protection for our community although the regional outbreaks are causing some urgency. This sense of a measured response to the pandemic has been thrown off the rails a few times with grossly exaggerated fears about vaccine safety, problems with logistics, and arguments about priorities and eligibilities, and of course the parallel but not freely communicating Commonwealth and State systems. And funding, and resourcing in general.
Why is it that the State rollout seems to have massive funding for full page advertising and support in general, whereas the Commonwealth auspiced General Practice program has been starved of funding and vaccine supply?
Why is it that Dan Andrews announced triumphantly that the State hubs are doing the heavy lifting and only occasionally mentions that there is also a GP rollout happening?
Remember, General Practice passed the 10 million mark for vaccinations in Australia, weeks ago. Why were we held back at a critical juncture in May for two weeks while the State system was given a jumpstart? A handicap race I suppose. Commonwealth support has been mean spirited. Plenty of smarter, but not wiser, practices chose not to be involved. Perhaps they didn’t have suitable space to work from or something. More than 5,000 practices did join in, to roll up their sleeves and vaccinate Australia. We do have bills to pay, and we have a thin marketing and advertising budget. Still, people seem to find us.
We now have the compressed and extended rollouts for second doses in some State systems which don’t align with the Commonwealth program through General Practice, which hasn’t changed at all. It sort of makes sense when there is urgency, but it leads to confusion, and angry people telling us that we don’t know what we are doing. They are misguided of course.
Our vaccine access has suddenly increased from 600 to 900 doses of Pfizer fortnightly (assuming they arrive), and virtually unlimited supplies of Astra Zeneca, which is made locally, and is cheap, but that won’t wash with anyone who isn’t doing the paying.
Some people have been running around the countryside to source their vaccine of choice, and I admire their enthusiasm. Some have acquired wisdom, common sense and nuance from reading this column, and seek out whatever is suitable and available - now!
Stay calm, things will get better as vaccines are rushed in from various parts of the globe where they seem to have plenty. Maybe they feel sorry for us having battled to achieve near zero transmission but quickly losing it with thousands of active cases in Victoria and hundreds of new cases daily. Worse in NSW. Deaths are now including young adults.
Public health officials are doing an excellent job to contact trace and manage an escalating situation, while a rushed vaccination program is deployed. Why did it have to end this way?
We have undertaken to prioritise access to Pfizer vaccines for those who have no choice in the roadmap: The 12-17-year-olds and pregnant women. We will hold vaccines and appointments for you, if we know who you are. Pregnant women who get COVID-19 are in real trouble. Let us help you.
We encourage baby making and pregnancy as a good thing. It apparently hasn’t lost popularity during the pandemic, although Victoria is not doing as well as other states.
It’s not a race: yes it is!
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