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March 22, 2021
COVID-19 vaccinations commenced today in 18 local general practices and the three GP Respiratory Centres in the ACT, as part of Phase 1b. Over the next four weeks, as more practices are onboarded and more vaccines are received, a total of 73 eligible general practices in the ACT will be providing COVID-19 vaccinations.
Dr Mel Deery, Practice Owner at YourGP@Crace operates one of the GP Respiratory Centres which will be providing COVID-19 vaccinations, in addition to many general practices across Canberra.
“We’re proud to be able to help the Canberra community to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The best way to make a booking is to use the Vaccine Eligibility Checker at australia.gov.au. If you’re eligible for Phase 1b, it then links you to a booking system to general practices in your local area,” said Dr Deery.
“It’s important to remember that the majority of general practices are only receiving 50 COVID-19 vaccine doses per week, so you may experience a wait when booking an appointment. However, this shouldn’t concern you due to the low community transmission rate in the ACT,” said Dr Deery.
General practices are key players in Australia having one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.
“GPs have considerable experience administering vaccines, such as the successful childhood immunisation program and influenza vaccines. Authorised COVID-19 vaccination providers and persons involved in the administration of COVID-19 vaccines must complete mandatory COVID-19 vaccination training. This training includes handling, storage, multi-dose vial training, reporting and safety monitoring,” said Dr Deery.
Canberrans are encouraged to get tested for COVID-19 if they have any of the following symptoms, no matter how mild: a fever of 37.5 degrees or higher or symptoms of a respiratory infection or loss of sense of smell or taste. You can find where you can get testing at www.covid19.act.gov.au.
As ACT’s Primary Health Network, Capital Health Network (CHN) prioritised the local applications from general practices for consideration by the Department of Health and has supported general practice to prepare to provide COVID-19 vaccinations.