Nurses ‘excited’ and ‘relieved’ to get COVID jab

Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne’s south east will be one of the first hubs to deliver COVID-19 vaccines from Monday.

ICU nurse manager Rachel Hogben with team members Carol Bodell, Ronald Manalo, Maria Hyde and Pamela Kirkham. Picture: David Geraghty

Victorian nurses have completed a final “dry run” before they start administering the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday after a full year of battling the virus on the frontlines.

At least 100 healthcare workers are expected to be vaccinated at the Monash Medical Centre in Clayton, in Melbourne’s southeast, on Monday. Nurse manager of the intensive care unit at Dandenong Hospital, Rachel Hogben, will be one of the first.

“I’m feeling really excited and (have) a big sense of relief,” the 39-year-old said. “Monash Health have recruited a huge number of nurse vaccinators and it’s been a massive undertaking in a short time.

“(Last year) was certainly difficult, and I think that is why there is this huge sense of relief. We know that the answers are not immediate, it won’t be COVID normal immediately after the vaccine, but we know now we are making some really positive steps towards that and that’s why we are so excited.”

Three vaccination rooms will be used from Monday at the Clayton hub to administer the Pfizer/BioNTech jab from 7.30am until 7pm. The clinic will operate with those hours seven days a week.

Those receiving the vaccine are expected to be at the hub for about 30 minutes. They will ­initially complete paperwork in a reception area before moving into a “clinic room” where they will receive the vaccine.

They will need to wait 15 minutes before they leave so nurses can monitor their reaction to the immunisation. They will also be required to book a second vaccine for three weeks later.

As the operation ramps up to protect the state’s healthcare workers and other groups such as aged and disability care residents and staff, and hotel quarantine staff, the number of clinic rooms will be increased to six and then more.

Monash Health will distribute the vaccine from clinics at Clayton, Dandenong Hospital and Casey Hospital. It will also supply doses of the vaccine to Austin Health, which will ­administer the jab to quarantine workers.

Nurse Pamela Kirkham will deliver some of the first vaccines on Monday and said the “dry run” ensured her and the other nurses that things would run smoothly.

“I feel excited about it … I think today has been a great dry run, and we are ready to go from Monday,” she said.

“There is a lot that has happened in a very short space of time and I think, for a lot of us, our heads are spinning … but in a good way.”

Ms Kirkham, who has worked at the Monash Medical Centre for 15 years, said like many other vaccinations there would be a small amount of discomfort but assured all future patients they would be in the safe hands.

“(The vaccine) should be doing something in your body, your immune system should be fighting,” she said. “People will get some aches and pains … so we will go through all that and make sure everyone understands that and they are happy.”