Covid vaccine near me: No walk-in Pfizer jabs in Frankston, Mornington Peninsula

A rush to get vaccinated has led to long queues and even longer wait times. And it’s about to get even more frustrating.

Aged care worker Yaser Yousry receives his Covid vaccination in Frankston.

Long drives and even longer lines are putting Covid vaccinations out of reach for many, says the Mornington Peninsula’s mayor.

Despi O’Connor said more needed to be done to make it easier for people to access Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs.

The Mount Martha resident had to make a 75km round trip to her closest vaccine hub at Cranbourne Turf Club and wait for three hours on Thursday to receive her first Pfizer vaccination.

She arrived at 8am and in less than two hours the Monash Health centre was closed to walk-ins, except high priority people including health and aged care workers.

“There were hundreds of people that would have been turned away,” Cr O’Connor said.

“And I hate to think how many more people aren’t even in a position to try and get vaccinated.

“If you can’t get there or aren’t able to wait you’ll miss out.”

Late Thursday Monash Health announced it would restrict Friday walk-ins at its Sandown Racecourse centre to only residential aged care and disability care workers.

“Public walk-ins will be paused for one day to support the Victorian Government blitz aimed at protecting our most vulnerable Victorians living in residential disability and aged care settings,”

Booked appointments would proceed.

Public walk-ins would still be accepted at the Cranbourne centre but people were warned to expect a longer wait as “active queue management” would be used to prioritise aged care and disability workers.

To avoid long delays or disappointment Monash Health recommended booking by phoning 1800 675 398 between 8an and 10pm.

The best time to call was after 7pm.

Cr O’Connor was also concerned about the rollout of the AstraZeneca jab on the Mornington Peninsula.

“There is no hub on the Mornington Peninsula offering Pfizer vaccinations and we have only one superhub, at Rosebud, administering AstraZeneca vaccines,” she said.

“We’re told that getting vaccinated is the only way out of this pandemic, but its almost too hard for people to do.”

Frankston mayor Kris Bolam urged eligible community members to book their “free, safe and voluntary” Covid vaccinations.

“Doing so is also the best way to protect yourself, your family and your community from Covid-19 and for all of us to return to the life we know and love,” Cr Bolam said.

Peninsula Health Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shyaman Menon, said the service was providing vaccinations at Frankston and Rosebud Hospitals to people who met the eligibility criteria, as part of the Federal Government’s vaccination program.

“A further location in Frankston is also set to open soon. The details and locations of the clinics and how to book in is available on Peninsula Health’s website.” Dr Menon said.

There are also 16 medical clinics on the Mornington Peninsula and four in Frankston offering the AstraZeneca vaccine.

A spokesperon for Seaford Beach Family Clinic said the centre had been busy since lockdown 4.0 was announced.

“We don’t have an issue with supply, but demand is high. The phones started ringing as soon as the restrictions were announced with people anxious to get vaccinated,” she said.

The Department of Health and Human Services said 23,192 Covid vaccination doses were administered on Wednesday - a record number of vaccinations in a single day in Victoria.

“This brings the total number of vaccine doses administered at state commissioned services as of yesterday to 536,319,” the department said.

Across all vaccination sites in Victoria, including GPs, more than 50,000 vaccination doses were administered.