Bonner General Practices join the Phase 1B COVID-19 vaccine rollout

More than 1000 General Practices (GPs), including several in Bonner will join the COVID-19 vaccination program from next week, further strengthening the Commonwealth’s capacity, and ensuring an efficient and equitable distribution of vaccines across the country.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said services would come online from March 22.

“We all know the invaluable work our local GP’s do for our community,” Mr Vasta said.

“Now we will see them play a vital role the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

“Phase 1B of the rollout will see 1000 GP’s across Australia delivering COVID-19 vaccines for our elderly and immunocompromised, progressively increasing in number to more than 4000 by the end of April.”

Initial GP clinics in Bonner offering the COVID-19 vaccine include:

  • Baywest Medical Centre, Wynnum West
  • Carina Medical and Specialist Centre, Carina
  • Wynnum Medical Centre, Tingalpa
  • Manly Clinic, Wynnum
  • Manly Village Medical, Manly
  • Mansfield Family Practice, Mansfield
  • Tyack Health, Manly West
  • Carindale Medical Clinic, Carindale
  • Eight Mile Plains Doctors, Eight Mile Plains

Mr Vasta said Australians eligible for Phase 1B could find a vaccination provider through the new national vaccination information and location service, at the Department of Health website.

“This will enable people to locate their nearest general practice providing General Practice Respiratory Clinic vaccinations and link through to their online booking system or phone number to make the appointment” Mr Vasta said.

“Vaccines are the game changer in our fight against the COVID-19 virus and I urge everyone in Australia to come forward and get vaccinated when they are able to. It will protect themselves, their family, and their community.”

In making the announcement, Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt MP said the rollout would continue to grow in coming weeks.

“This staged scale up will align with the supply of the locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine, and as more vaccine becomes available more services will come online,” Minister Hunt said.

“General practices will play a major role in ensuring all Australians who seek to be vaccinated have access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.

“We are committed to making sure that every Australian that wants a vaccine will be able to be vaccinated,” Minister Hunt said.

Phase 1B includes vulnerable groups, such as older people and people with certain underlying medical conditions. No-one is better placed to support these people than our general practices.

Over 100 Aboriginal Health Services and 130 Commonwealth operated GP-led Respiratory Clinics, who have been instrumental partners in the COVID-19 response to date will also be progressively added as additional vaccine providers.

Appointments on the service finder will increase as general practices establish their systems and vaccine supply. More appointments will become available as more clinics come on-board.

People will still be able to book their vaccine appointments directly at a participating general practice – as they do now, for instance, to get a seasonal flu vaccine.

As the rollout moves into Phase two, additional general practices and selected community pharmacists will also participate in the program. No-one will miss out, whether they live in a city or country town or a very remote area.

There will be six million Australians in Phase 1B, and not all will be able to be vaccinated immediately. We recognise that every Australian will have the opportunity to be vaccinated over the coming months and we thank every Australian for their patience.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where do I go and how do I book in?

Go to Department of Health website. Using the Eligibility Checker, you can find out which phase of the rollout you are in. If you are eligible, you will be able to view vaccination clinics and book an appointment online or via phone. If you are not yet eligible, you will be able to register your interest so that you can be notified when you are able to book.

If you prefer not to use the online option, you can call the National Coronavirus and COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 1800 020 080.

Will I be able to choose where I can book?

You will be able to view and select clinic locations based on the postcode you enter.

What happens if there are no clinics or appointments in my area?

A list of Commonwealth vaccination clinics, participating General Practices, and state and territory vaccination clinics will be made available as they come online.

Do I have to use the Eligibility Checker in order to book?

The checker is a helpful tool to help you find out if you are currently eligible to book.

The checker will guide you through to a simple way to find and book vaccine appointments, or help you register to be notified if you are part of a later phase. If you prefer to book appointments directly at a participating general practice or Commonwealth state vaccination clinic, you can contact them directly to do so.

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Get ready for your vaccination: link your digital government services

The Morrison Government is encouraging all residents in Bonner to get ready for their COVID-19 vaccination by linking their digital government services, particularly their myGov and Medicare accounts.

The call to link digital services follows the announcement that the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) will be the record for all vaccinations for Australians and that record will form the basis of the vaccination certificate that all Australians will be able to use, including visa holders.

The AIR has undergone significant upgrades in preparation for COVID-19 vaccine rollout. The AIR already allows you to see your recorded immunisations through myGov or the Medicare Express Plus app through an ‘Immunisation history statement’.

Almost 5.6 million immunisation history statements were securely accessed by individuals over the past financial year. Your immunisation history statement will record your COVID-19 vaccinations.

Minister for Government Services Stuart Robert encouraged all Australians to link their myGov and Medicare online services today to ensure they can access proof they have had a COVID-19 vaccination, quickly and easily.

“The Morrison Government is getting on with the vaccine rollout so we’re asking Australians to be vaccination-ready and link their digital services today,” Minister Robert said.

“Services Australia has been putting in the work to ensure government services are simple, respectful, transparent and helpful – so we have supercharged myGov and we have state-of-the art cybersecurity in place to protect the Australian Immunisation Register.”

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said linking your myGov and Medicare digital accounts was a simple step you could take right now to help you and your family be ready for a vaccinated Australia.

“This is something you can do right now to get your family vaccination-ready, it will be really helpful once you’ve had the vaccine and will mean you can easily access your vaccine certificate through the Australian Immunisation Register at the touch of a button,” Mr Vasta said.

“Do not forget, if you already have your Medicare account linked in myGov, make sure you check your contact details are up to date.”

Data from Services Australia indicates there are currently 19.7 million active myGov Accounts with 9.9 million linked to Medicare.

Since 30 June 2020, on average 150,000 new myGov accounts have been created and linked to a member service each month and 92,000 myGov accounts have been linked to Medicare each month.

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