SA’s first COVID-19 vaccination hub finally ready to open at Adelaide Showground, Wayville
A man in his 60s has with coronavirus been moved to intensive care at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and is on oxygen.
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A man is on oxygen in the intensive care unit at Royal Adelaide Hospital with COVID-19, authorities say
Deputy chief public health officer Dr Emily Kirkpatrick on Friday revealed the traveller was in a stable condition.
SA Health reported two new cases on Friday, men aged in their 30s and 40s.
As South Australia’s long-awaited first coronavirus mass-vaccination hub opened on Friday, all restrictions surrounding WA travellers were lifted.
Anyone who has arrived from Perth or the Peel region no longer have to have day one, 5 or 13 tests and can now enter high-risk events and events with a COVID management plan.
The mass vaccination hub starts as authorities scramble to boost the sluggish rollout by significantly widening patient eligibility.
More than 150 patients are booked into the Wayville hub today, which the Opposition says should have been launched earlier.
The Wayville hub will become a duel Pfizer and AstraZeneca clinic in a week.
Dr Kirkpatrick revealed 78 per cent of medi-hotel staff have had their second jab.
She said the Wayville hub would close during the show and resources diverted to other clinics.
The Advertiser first revealed SA Health’s plans for the Adelaide Showgrounds clinic, where up to 3000 Pfizer jabs will be given each a week to healthcare, essential or emergency workers aged under 50.
It is one of three large-scale Adelaide sites planned in coming weeks. A northern suburbs hub at Playford Civic Centre and another at the former Masters site at Noarlunga in the city’s south will not open for at least another month.
The hub in the Goyder Pavilion will open at midday with 12 cubicles but will be able to flex up to 40 cubicles as needed.
It comes as three new cases were diagnosed taking the state total to 722 — the two men in their 40s and woman in her 30s are all overseas arrivals in medi-hotels.
SA has 32 active cases, all acquired overseas, with one person in hospital and the others in Tom’s Court Hotel.
There have been 155,478 vaccinations shots administered in SA including 56,642 Commonwealth jabs.
Kasey Medlow, Nurse educator at the clinic Kasey Medlow said: “This is an important step in protecting our community and it’s great to be involved in looking after the health of our workforce. It is important that we work together to protect our community. Being part of this program is a great way to show South Australians how our services can work together to protect our most vulnerable.”
Carrie Pavic, Nurse Unit Manager Carrie Pavic said: “It’s amazing to be part of something that has such a major impact on our community’s health. A fantastic team has come together to deliver this vaccination clinic and it’s a career highlight to be here and part of the program.”
Pharmacist Katherine Lane, described the situation as novel. “This clinic will ensure that our frontline and healthcare workers have access to the vaccine and are protected as soon as possible,” she said.
SA Health is still reviewing whether it should be mandatory to be vaccinated while working in a medi hotel. At least 120 staff remain unvaccinated.
Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade defended the speed of opening the clinics that “will help us to continue our safe, steady scale up of the rollout”.
“While the majority of South Australians will receive their vaccination through their GP, the establishment of these clinics will play an important role in ensuring more people have access to the vaccine when they need it,” he said.
Opposition spokesman Chris Picton said mass vaccination sites “should have been opened weeks ago, as has been the case in other states”.
“No wonder Steven Marshall is presiding over the slowest rollout in the country when he’s been so slow to open mass vaccination sites,” he said.
“With more than 50,000 doses sitting in the fridge, we must do everything we can to get these jabs into people’s arms.”
Labor has highlighted Commonwealth data showing SA has the slowest rollout use in the country.
As part of the 1b rollout, GPs as well as medical and health care workers in public or private practice can have the Pfizer jabs the first time amid widespread industry calls to allow expand eligibility from SA Health staff.
Public and private hospital staff are also included in the phase 1b rollout, as are students on clinical placement, volunteers and various allied health professionals.
After CFS volunteers were ordered not to contact private sector GP clinics due to supply issues, all emergency service workers will also be eligible.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people with specified underlying medical conditions will also receive the Pfizer vaccine.
An SA Health bulletin, a copy of which has been obtained by The Advertiser, states authorities are now “exploring what capacity there is for hospital-based public … clinics”.
At least 25 vaccination sites remain in operation as officials explore closing hospital clinics and divert resources to the mass vaccination sites.
Currently, people aged over 50 who require AstraZeneca vaccinations will be directed to their GP.
Deputy chief public health officer Dr Emily Kirkpatrick said appointments could be booked through an online site.
“We are looking forward to the opening of our first large-scale COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Adelaide Showgrounds,” she said.
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