The Weekly Advertiser – Wednesday, January 27 edition

Page 1

Vol. No. Vol. 2318No. 29 27

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Wednesday, January January 27, 13, 2021 2016 Wednesday,

NATIONAL DAY: From left, Thablay Khinshwe, Hte Mwe Paw, 3, and Gaw Kay Paw, 5, at Australia Day celebrations at Dimboola. People across the Wimmera made the most of the national holiday yesterday to reflect on what it meant to be Australian. More pictures, stories, pages 3, 12, 13, 14 and 15. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

Webster: Get the jab M

BY DEAN LAWSON

ember for Mallee Anne Webster has urged people across the Wimmera-Mallee to seize the opportunity when presented with a chance to vaccinate against COVID-19.

Dr Webster, commenting on official approval of the first roll-out of a COVID-19 vaccine in Australia, said she had few qualms about being vaccinated and urged everyone ‘who could’ to do the same. She said people should have confidence in the methodical approach Australia had taken in ensuring vaccines were safe as well as effective. “I will be doing it, my family will be doing it and I expect all my staff will be doing it. I can’t make decisions for

people on this but I certainly encourage everyone across Mallee to see it as a way forward,” she said. “I can see no reason to doubt the process. Australia has waited and taken a very safe approach. We have been slower than other countries in allowing for full approval and now at last, the day has come. “This is a vaccination and similar to protecting ourselves from other diseases such as flu or measles. “We are really keen to see roll-out of the vaccine and ultimately get back to life as we know it. It is a really important step. “If people have concerns or questions then I encourage them to see their GPs.” Australian medical regulator, the

Therapeutic Goods Administration, TGA, provisionally approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in Australia on Monday. It had spent months assessing the vaccine manufactured in the United States of America and Europe to ensure it met high safety, efficacy and quality standards. The first stage of a community rollout of the vaccine is scheduled to start in late February or early March and start with 80,000 injections a week. It is not mandatory. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said world-class regulators at TGA had been working ‘tirelessly’ to introduce a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine in Australia. “The TGA’s processes are, I believe,

the best in the world and we have ensured that they are thorough. The TGA has placed safety above all else,” he said. The Pfizer vaccine is part of Australia’s multi-vaccine approach to tackling COVID-19. Australia has secured supply of 10-million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which has high efficacy but also logistical requirements to be stored at an extremely cold temperature. Australia also has more than 53-million doses of the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, still awaiting approval but with less logistical issues. Dr Webster said expectations were that a priority group of Australians such as front-line healthcare and aged-

care staff and residents would receive the first dose of the vaccine as soon as it became available. She said the vaccine would be free of charge. Dr Webster stressed that the Wimmera-Mallee, despite experiencing relatively few COVID-19 cases, was far from immune from the disease. “Again, I for one, as soon as I’m allowed, will be getting the jab,” she said. Wimmera Health Care Group medical services director Dr Rob Pelgram said there was considerable discussion about the vaccine roll-out at a national meeting of Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators last week. Continued page 3

IN THIS ISSUE • OAM for Mandy Stephan • River health update • Monthly AgLife Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au

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