scone.com.auFirst Covid-19 vaccines in Scone
“It was really easy, they send you confirmation of your booking and they send you reminders beforehand and on the day, all of which you can set up on the app,” she said.
“The wait was not lengthy . . . when you walk in, they simply ask for your Medicare card, I sat patiently and then my name was called,” she said.
Ms Gilkeson was thoroughly impressed with the efficient service at Scone Medical Practice and said the vaccine itself was quick and painless.
“The nurse who injected the vaccine painlessly also read me various questions that you have to answer about consenting to the Covid-19 shot and there was a doctor present,” Ms Gilkeson said.
“It was over in ten seconds and I probably waited for about ten minutes beforehand,” she said.
“They stick a little sticker on you that says what time you received the shot, because you’ve got to wait about 15 minutes afterwards,” she said.
“After that time has elapsed, you simply go back to the reception counter and they give you the next date for the follow-up shot in three months.
“I found the whole set up terribly efficient, it was very smooth, everyone was great, no problems at all,
“I couldn’t praise or speak more highly of the practice,” Ms Gilkeson said.
Scott White, Scone Medical Practice Manager said so far, the practice has issued more than 100 vaccines and expect to give a further 120 on Easter Monday.
“We started very slowly to make sure we had a platform because it’s very regimented, as we have a reporting process back to the Australian Immunisation Registry (AIR),” Mr White said.
“The frontline health professionals were done first and we used that to build our platform and workflow,” he said.
“We then opened up to other health professionals, pharmacists and pharmacy staff and are now contacting other health groups like policemen, SES workers and so forth, encouraging them to book through HotDoc,” he said.
“With the phase 1b, because the elderly are not particularly text savvy, we have manually sent lists out and communicated as best as we can with those who need to be prioritised,” he said.
“We’re communicating primarily through Facebook, so hopefully the younger children can assist with getting seniors onto HotDoc, which saves a lot of wear and tear on the phone,” Mr White said.
The HotDoc app is the main platform for booking appointments, as it allows people to check if they are eligible for the current vaccine rollout.
However, those who cannot access HotDoc can still call the practice and set up an appointment.
“HotDoc goes through a series of questions which actually sees if the person makes the criteria for the 1b roll out, it’s important to answer the questions truthfully but that information is also easy to check,” Mr White said.
“The procedure of giving the Covid-19 vaccine is quite involved, more involved than giving the flu vaccines because it’s a little slower and there needs to be consent given,” he said.
“We ask questions and screen the patient to make sure they are okay to have the vaccine and don’t have any health conditions that would mean they have problems with allergy or anything that might mean they need special attention,” he said.
Mr White asked for the community’s patience whilst the practice expands its vaccine rollout timetable to provide weekday appointments during business hours.
“We are very mindful that we need to roll this out into the community . . . even though we have HotDoc, we are opening up appointments on a roll-on basis so we don’t get slammed with a tsunami wave,” Mr White said.
“Please be patient, we are rolling it out, we are prioritising to those people who need it first and if you can’t get an appointment on the first occasion, don’t despair,” he said.
“There’s a lot of people trying to book and the program will open up more appointments as we roll-on, keeping in mind we have to coordinate that with getting the stock in,” Mr White said.
Government health officials say some people may still get side effects after receiving the experimental COVID-19 vaccine and one has to sign a consent form before the vaccine is administered.
It is understood one can’t sue pharmaceutical companies if severe Covid vaccine side effects develop.
You can’t sue pharmaceutical companies if you have severe Covid vaccine side effects.
1b phase criteria:
- Elderly people aged 70 and over;
- Healthcare workers currently employed and not included in Phase 1a;
- Household contacts of quarantine and border workers;
- Critical and high risk workers who are currently employed;
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 55 years and over;
- Adults with an underlying medical condition or significant disability.
Tags: covid-19 vaccine, Scone Medical Practice, vaccine roll-out