Explained: How SA’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout will work

When can I get the COVID-19 jab? Can I get it in my GP office? Our Q&A will help bust the confusion about what the vaccination rollout means for you.

Vaccinations against COVID-19 started rolling out in South Australia in late February.

Nationwide, elderly Australians in more than 240 locations received the Pfizer vaccine in Phase 1A of the rollout.

Frontline workers, including quarantine, border and health workers are also being vaccinated in the first phase.

So when is it your turn? How do you get it? Can you go to your GP or a specialised clinic? We answer your vaccine questions.

What is available?

The Commonwealth Government will supply enough doses for 60,000 South Australians to have a Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine twice over 28 days in the first phase of the rollout.

Australia has secured an additional 10 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The extra vaccine procurement means the nation will have access to at least 150 million doses across multiple candidates, including 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

There will be 51 million doses of Novavax, 53.8 million of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which was approved this week and 25.5 million doses from the COVAX program. More than 1.2 million doses of AstraZeneca are also arriving in Australia in early March. They will be stored in special fridges that are currently installed at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre hubs, which have cost the government almost $30,000.

Who is getting it in phase one?

7124 people – well short of the state’s 12,000 target set for the first three weeks of the program – have now had the jab.

Premier Steven Marshall said he made “no apologies” for not meeting the target.

“We want to make sure that this vaccination program is very, very effective,” he said.

A majority of the 700,000 imported doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the country will be in the hands of GPs next week, ahead of the nationwide rollout set to begin on March 22.

The first locally produced CSL product will follow a week later.

With concerns mounting over the slow start to the vaccine rollout, the Commonwealth will look to encourage pharmacies to operate over 24 hours when they start vaccinating in May.

It is also keen for state government-run hospital hubs to begin vaccinating the general population on the same day the planned GP rollout starts.

All Australians aged over 50 will be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccination from June, according to detailed new plans for the rollout released by the federal government.

By that time, the 678,000 Australians in phase 1a of the rollout — including aged care residents and frontline workers — should have received the two jabs required to keep them safe.

From next Monday, the phase 1b rollout will begin for 6.1 million Australians. This will include anyone aged over 70 and 2 million younger adults with underlying medical conditions.

More than 300,000 doses will be given to that group next week, increasing to 400,000 doses the week after that and then about 500,000 doses a week for the two months from April 12.

Critical and high risk workers including defence, police, fire, emergency services and meat processing will also get a vaccine.

The general public will be included in later phases while under ambitious plans, the State Government aims to have every person in SA offered a jab by Christmas.

Why is the vaccine important?

Senior officials, including Professor Spurrier, and Police Commissioner and state COVID-19 co-ordinator, Grant Stevens, say that getting a large proportion of the general public vaccinated is the critical pathway to end the pandemic and move out of restrictions.

“It is critical for us to see this vaccine get out as quickly as possible because it will be one of those significant triggers that see us being able to relax more restrictions,” said Mr Stevens.

Professor Spurrier added: “If we don’t have a good uptake of the vaccine, unfortunately the pandemic could drag on for a lot longer. So definitely this is a really good reason to think about being vaccinated.”

Where can I get my vaccine? Can I go to my GP office or do I have to go to a specialised clinic?

Clinics are being established in all regional, rural, and metropolitan areas and at first that’s where you’ll need to go to get your vaccination. But later in the year it will be available through GPs.

Metro:

Royal Adelaide Hospital (from 22 February)

Flinders Medical Centre (from 22 February)

Women’s and Children’s Hospital (from 2 March)

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (from 10 March)

Lyell McEwin Hospital (from 9 March)

Regional:

Murray Bridge (from 5 March)

Mount Gambier Hospital (from 8 March)

Eyre Peninsula regional areas (from 9 March)

Riverland General Hospital Berri (from week commencing 15 March)

Port Pirie Hospital (from week commencing 22 March)

Port Augusta Hospital (from week commencing 22 March)

Whyalla Hospital (from week commencing 22 March)

How will I get it?

SA Health has launched a recruitment drive for registered nurses, midwives, pharmacists, doctors including GPs, other medical officers and Aboriginal health practitioners to join in the vaccine rollout. More than 1000 people have registered expressions of interest.

Recruits are yet to be hired as officials work through logistics. They will then launch an extensive training program before recruits can administer COVID-19 jabs. Firstly it will be at hospitals but then through GPs.

On Monday, SA Health said: “Information will be provided to priority groups and the wider community when the vaccine becomes available to each group.

“Right now, frontline healthcare workers, quarantine and airport workers, and residential aged care and disability care residents and staff are being vaccinated against COVID-19.”

Can you still carry Covid after vaccine?

A person who is vaccinated against COVID-19 can still be infected with or “carry” the virus that causes COVID-19 while not feeling sick or having symptoms. Experts call this “asymptomatic infection.” The CDC says the vaccine is effective at keeping you from getting sick, but scientists are still learning how well it prevents people from spreading the virus.

Do you have another question? Leave it in the comment section below and we’ll endeavour to get it answered.