Melbourne GP clinic forced to cancel kids’ vaccine appointments after jabs not delivered
Some Melbourne children have been left without vaccines on the first day kids aged five to 11 are eligible to receive Covid jabs.
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A Melbourne doctor says she had been left scrambling for vaccines on the first day younger children are eligible after doses failed to arrive on time.
Balwyn Health Care were due for delivery a week ago but the shipment still had not arrived on Monday.
A revised arrival date has yet to be locked in, with GP Dr Mary-Anne Lancaster saying the clinic has no idea when the doses will arrive.
“We have not been able to contact the centre, they won’t answer our calls, they won’t answer the emails and we’re not allowed to go pick them up ourselves,” she told 3AW.
Admin staff were left to deal with disgruntled parents after Dr Lancaster said vaccine centres didn’t return the clinic’s calls.
“We’re going to have to cancel, as are a lot of other clinics, the kids today,” she said.
“Our receptionists absolutely cop it from the patients unfortunately … but it is totally out of our control.”
Australians aged between five and 11 are eligible to receive their first Covid vaccine dose on Monday.
The head of the COVID-19 vaccine task force Lieutenant General John Frewen said parents should be flexible when trying to find a vaccination appointment.
“If they can’t get an appointment in with their primary health provider, their GP, then they should try around the pharmacies, they should try at some of the state and territory clinics,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
“There is enough vaccine and there are enough points of distribution. It’s just about a little bit of patience.
“It’s sometimes hard to predict exactly where the demand will be.”
Primary care providers and state clinics placed were able to place orders for children’s doses from December 11.
Orders made by December 17 were delivered last week, while those lodged after that date are due to arrive this week.
There are more than 10,000 vaccination sites across the country with 1.9 million doses set to be delivered in the first two weeks of children aged five to 11 becoming eligible.
Originally published as Melbourne GP clinic forced to cancel kids’ vaccine appointments after jabs not delivered
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