First Darling Downs frontline health worker receives COVID-19 vaccine

A frontline nurse has rolled up her sleeve to be the first to health worker to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. It comes as the 1a rollout continues across the region.

Darling Downs Health registered nurse Casey Zeller rolled up her sleeve on Wednesday morning to be the first phase 1a frontline health worker in the Darling Downs Health region to receive the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Casey works at the Darling Downs Health COVID-19 testing centre at Charlton.

“As well as working in theatre here at Toowoomba Hospital I’ve also spent a lot of time over the past year as team leader at our COVID-19 test centre at Charlton and our pop-up testing centre at Baillie Henderson,” Ms Zeller said.

Darling Downs Health Nurse Casey Zeller was the first vaccine recipient at Toowoomba Hospital.

“Being vaccinated is one of the easiest things we can all do to keep our communities and loved ones safe.

“I feel privileged to be the first.”

Ms Zeller received her vaccination at the region’s new AstraZeneca vaccination hub, located inside the Toowoomba Hospital.

Darling Downs Public Health Unit Director Dr Liam Flynn said other phases of the vaccination rollout would also be facilitated by the hub, following the end of phase 1a distribution.

“We’re going to start slow and then we’ll ramp up our vaccine process here in Toowoomba and across the Darling Downs, our aim is to vaccinate everybody that wants to be vaccinated,” Dr Flynn said.

“We’re starting out with the priority 1a group, so that’s our frontline health workers, those working at respiratory clinics and those working at emergency departments and intensive car units.

“Our aim would be to quickly roll into 1b, hopefully within the next few weeks and then promptly onto phase 2, generally vaccination of the community.

Dr Flynn said there was currently no concern around the supply of AstraZeneca.

“We’ll be looking to ramp up the number of doses we administer each day and a large part of that will be dependent on the number of doses we’re given from the commonwealth,” he said.

“It’s pleasing that there will be onshore manufacture of the 50 million doses of AstraZeneca coming out of CSL’s Melbourne plant within the next month or so.”

In a statement, Darling Downs Health said the COVID-19 vaccine was free, safe, effective and is an important step to take to reduce the serious effects of COVID-19 in people who become infected with the virus.

Darling Downs Health registered nurse Casey Zeller receives her COVID-19 vaccination from Toowoomba Hospital immunisation nurse Lauren Gill

“We will continue to vaccinate others in phase 1a, including priority frontline health care workers, priority quarantine and border workers, and aged care and disability care workers and residents,” the statement said.

The vaccination rollout for this group is being managed by the Federal Government.

On Tuesday, the State Government announced Toowoomba Hospital would host an AstraZeneca vaccine hub from this week.