The State Government has announced that the vaccination centre at the Cranbourne Turf Club will close at the end of May as part of a state-wide scale down of vaccination centres.
The decision will allow the workforce of vaccinators to return to the under-pressure public hospital system and deliver other services across health system.
By the end of May, approximately 30 state-run vaccination centres will remain in operation, with a focus on services in priority Local Government Areas and vulnerable communities, the state government said.
The Commonwealth’s Covid-19 vaccination program will also continue through GP clinics and pharmacies, which are now delivering up to 75 per cent of doses in the program, an increase from around 50 per cent during the Delta outbreak.
Health Minister Martin Foley declared Victoria’s vaccination program, which delivered more than 6.1 million doses, “one of the biggest and most successful public health programs” in the state’s history.
“Everyone who worked in a vaccination centre played a part in helping us become one of the most vaccinated societies on earth,” Mr Foley said.
“Victorians will always have the ability to get protected against Covid-19 at the places most people usually go to for medicines and health services, their local GP or pharmacy.
“While a lack of Commonwealth funding clarity has guided this decision, this is an appropriate step that reflects things getting back to normal, with more responsibility for immunisation programs returning to primary care.”
Federal Government funding for the pandemic response will cease beyond September.
More than 96 per cent of adults have had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, and two-thirds have had three doses, including around 90 per cent of those aged over 70.
Victorians are still being encouraged to get their third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine if they have not done so already.
To book a vaccination appointment, visit covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au.
