Rolling coverage: First Victorian receives COVID vaccine as Australia’s rollout officially begins

Two Melbourne quarantine hotel workers have returned negative COVID-19 test results, after early returning concerning results. Meanwhile, Victoria’s vaccine rollout has begun.

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Two Melbourne quarantine hotel workers received indeterminate COVID-19 test results, however both were later found to be negative.

The initial results had health officials on high alert on Monday.

The two staff members - one from the Novotel and one from the Pullman - were retested “out of an abundance of caution” and were negative, Monday afternoon’s Chief Health Officer press release said.

It came as Victoria marked three straight days of no new coronavirus cases.

The hotel quarantine workers’ initial indeterminate results were received from routine saliva tests, the press release said.

Nasopharyngeal swabs tests were undertaken on the two workers and their indeterminate samples were sent to the public health reference laboratory for further analysis.

The Holiday Inn outbreak, which sparked last week’s snap lockdown, remains at 22 cases. as the state recorded no new cases of coronavirus after more than 8,200 swabs were received on Sunday.

It comes as the first person in Victoria has received the coronavirus vaccine.

Professor Rhonda Stuart from Monash Health got the Pfizer jab around 7.30am on Monday.

Prof Stuart and her team treated the first Australian coronavirus patient in January last year.

She cheered after getting the vaccine.

Monash Health is one of the Victorian hubs for the vaccine rollout.

Prof Stuart said it was a “very proud moment” to be the first Victorian to be vaccinated.

“I’m really proud to be getting this vaccine and starting the next chapter as our work against COVID,” she said. “Very proud moment.”

Prof Stuart said healthcare workers like herself, along with aged care workers, would be among those to get the jab on Monday.

Residents at a Geelong aged care facility will also be among the first Victorians to be vaccinated on Monday.

At least 130 aged care residents at TLC Homestead Estate Residential Aged Care in Wallington will receive the jab from 9am.

Staff at the home told the Herald Sun it was a “very exciting” day.

Resident Elaine Madden will be the first at the home to roll her sleeve up and become vaccinated.

“I’d be crazy not to do it, I’m 87 years old and I want to keep on living,” Ms Madden said.

“It’s crazy not to have it. It’s being offered for nothing, it is definitely worth it.”

Rhonda Stuart was the first Victorian to receive the COVID vaccine. Picture: Arsineh Houspian

NATIONAL ROLLOUT BEGINS

At least 60,000 Australians will get their first COVID-19 vaccinations this week as the rollout kicks off around the country today — which has been dubbed “V-day”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was among a group of 20 to receive the shot a day early in an effort to boost confidence in the Pfizer vaccine, which will be given to those most at risk in the coming weeks.

Among the group vaccinated in Sydney on Sunday was former Melbourne resident John Healy, 87, who said the experience was a “little prick”.

“It means I now can go out without any worries,” the aged-care resident said.

He followed 84-year-old fellow aged-care resident Jane Malysiak, who made history as the first Australian to receive the vaccine on home soil.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is seen talking to the first vaccine recipient Jane Malysiak as she receives her jab at Castle Hill Medical Centre in Sydney.

Australia’s chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, was also in the group of 20 vaccinated on Sunday, along with aged-care residents, disability and aged-care workers, defence staff, doctors and nurses.

Mr Morrison was injected in front of the cameras, alongside Mr Kelly and chief nursing officer Alison McMillan.

“I’m feeling great, very confident,” Mr Morrison said ­afterwards. “You just sit there, look the other way, it’s all over in half a second.”

The 34-year-old doctor who injected the PM said it was “the honour and privilege of my life”.

“I’m glad I got the job done, I was a bit nervous inside,” Dr Jesse Lee said.

“But at the end of the day, he’s one of the first recipients of hopefully everyone in Australia.”

Authorities aim to vaccinate 678,000 people, including vulnerable Australians and frontline workers, within six weeks.

An initial four vaccination hubs will open in Victoria this week with the goal of vaccinating all hotel quarantine workers in three weeks.

Australia’s COVID vaccine begins on Monday. Picture Rebecca Michael.

At least 240 aged-care homes will also get a share of the available vaccines as part of the rollout that will this week reach 190 Australian towns and suburbs.

The lifesaving doses will be taken directly to aged-care homes.

AstraZeneca vaccines will be added to Australia’s rollout mix from next month, with more than 50 million doses to be manufactured in Melbourne.

Health Minister Greg Hunt and Department of Health ­secretary Brendan Murphy will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, along with most Australians.

Mr Hunt on Sunday ­revealed he had written to federal Opposition Leader ­Anthony Albanese and Greens leader Adam Bandt to invite them to receive Pfizer vaccinations this week.

“It is about the confidence, and indeed the research shows that people want to see that if we believe it’s safe then that will give them greater confidence,” Mr Hunt said.

“Many people are worried — has this been too quick — and we had to show that it’s been a full, thorough assessment and that we believe in the safety ourselves.”

More than 140,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived from Europe last week before being tested then transported around the country.

Victoria expects to receive about 11,000 doses of the vaccine each week for the first four weeks.

Victorians will be able to prove they have been vaccinated using a digital record ­attached to the Medicare platform, and can also receive a hard copy.

Asked when he would be vaccinated, Victorian Industry and Support Minister Martin Pakula on Sunday said he would wait in line with other people of his age and health status.

“I’m not a frontline worker and I’m not super old yet, so I would expect to get vaccinated at the same time as everyone else in my cohort,” he said.

‘ARMOUR’ FOR FRONT LINE

Nurses and doctors who worked in the COVID-19 wards throughout Melbourne’s deadly second wave will be among the first to receive their vaccines today.

After one of the toughest years of his career, Monash Clayton intensive care director Stuart Wilson said he would feel like he was wearing a “double-plated suit of armour” after his injection.

Dr Wilson has overseen the ICU treatment of dozens of critically ill coronavirus patients since March and has been waiting for the vaccine for “a very long time”.

“It’s just a huge relief that this has now come,” he said.

“I’ve got no hesitation whatsoever.

Dr Stuart Wilson of Monash Intensive Care Unit with nurse Grace Bartlett are excited to get the jab. Picture Rebecca Michael.

“This really is the answer to us moving forward and really getting life back to normal.”

Monash has treated about 160 people with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

About 1000 workers and aged-care residents will be vaccinated with the Pfizer jab at the Clayton site this week.

One of the worst parts for doctors and nurses working on the front line last year was the “extreme anxiety”, which Dr Wilson said would be largely removed once his team had been inoculated.

“There was really an awful lot of anxiety, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of worries about your own health. Would you catch it? Would you take it home? Would you give it to people that you live with?” he said.

“The vaccine is the answer to this, to getting life back to normal.

“It’s like a double-plated suit of armour.”

Vials of the vaccine arrived at the hospital yesterday, packed in purpose-built dry ice containers that keep the vaccine at minus 70C.