Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne Convention Centre to be turned into vaccination hubs

Qantas is trialling a digital vaccine passport with sights set on a return to international travel in October. The Melbourne landmarks set to become jab hubs have also been revealed.

Qantas has begun trialling a digital vaccine passport system which it says will help pave the way for safe international travel when borders reopen.

The nation’s airline carrier is hoping for a “seamless” process after trialling a CommonPass digital health app on its international repatriation flight from Frankfurt to Darwin this week.

Stored on a phone app, the digital health pass allows passengers to prove they have returned a negative COVID test result before boarding a flight, which is a requirement of all repatriation flights.

Qantas wants to restart international flights from October.

Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer Stephanie Tully said the app would speed-up the return of international flights in a safe and secure way.

“We want to get our international flights back in the air and our people back to work and a digital health pass will be a key part of that,” Ms Tully said.

“COVID test results and proof of vaccine will be required in many countries for quarantine-free travel, just as it has been for polio and yellow fever vaccinations in the past.

“Ultimately we’re focused on ensuring that the process will be as seamless as possible for our customers to share this information so they can travel internationally again.”

Qantas has announced plans to restart its international flights from the end of October when it predicts Australia will reopen its borders.

Qantas is working closely with the Australian Government, airports and industry partners as it progresses through the trials.

The app connects customers to certified testing labs so that results verify their COVID test results.

Qantas is also considering another digital pass solution called IATA Travel Pass, which contains accurate information on passengers’ COVID-19 health status.

The Commons Project Foundation CEO, Paul Meyer, said the aim of the CommonPass app was to provide passengers a “secure, private and trusted experience as they return to their home country”.

Felicia Mariani, CEO of the Victoria Tourism Industry Council, said the vaccine passport trail was “terrific news” which would help resume Australia’s international travel.

“Visitors from overseas are such a crucial part of our visitor economy here in Victoria and across Australia,” Ms Mariani said.

“In Melbourne alone, 40 per cent of visitor spend comes from overseas travellers.

“Getting our international arrivals back is the only way we can start the sector on what is a real pathway to recovery.”

MELBOURNE LANDMARKS BECOME VAX HUBS

Victoria has reached its 14th day with no local transmission of coronavirus.

It comes as mass COVID-19 vaccination centres are set to be created in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and Royal Exhibition Building in the coming weeks.

Thousands of emergency service workers a week are expected to receive their COVID-19 jabs at the city hubs when Australia moves into the second phase of its vaccination rollout.

While no firm date has been set for phase 1b of rollout, the Andrews Government has moved to prepare the mass centres to meet its responsibility of vaccinating the state’s police officers, firefighters and other emergency service workers.

The former Ford factory in Geelong is also being transformed into a high-volume vaccination centre under the state component of the phase 1b program.

Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building will soon be a site for mass coronavirus vaccinations

A Department of Health spokesman told the Herald Sun there would be a “slow and steady” ramping up of vaccinations at the mass sites when they open in the coming weeks, however thousands of people are expected to receive their shots at the city centres a week when they reach full capacity.

“Our capacity to vaccinate 1b priority groups will be bolstered, with plans progressing for high-volume vaccination centres located at the Royal Exhibition Building and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre,” the spokesman said.

“The commencement of these sites in the coming weeks, and other potential locations across the state, will depend on vaccine supply from the Commonwealth.”

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Picture: Sarah Matray

The Herald Sun understands the Royal Melbourne Hospital will operate the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre site, while St Vincent’s will oversee the Royal Exhibition Building operation.

Further vaccination centres, linked to the state’s community health organisations and hospitals and co-ordinated by the nine Local Public Health Units, will be opened as the AstraZeneca vaccine rolls out and the Commonwealth’s 1b phase launches.

While state governments will provide COVID-19 vaccinations for their emergency service workforces under phase 1b, the Commonwealth will lead the rollout to elderly residents over 70 through GP clinics, pharmacies and private residential aged care.

As of Wednesday, phase 1a of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout had seen more than 22,317 doses administered to frontline healthcare and quarantine workers at Victoria’s hospital vaccination hubs.

Originally published as Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne Convention Centre to be turned into vaccination hubs