By Danielle Kutchel
GPs across Casey are being slammed by demand for Covid-19 vaccines.
Star News has spoken to a number of GPs across the City of Casey to determine the impact of the sudden rise in people seeking vaccinations since the beginning of the circuit breaker lockdown.
Many were just too busy to speak.
Others have said the volume of requests for vaccinations has skyrocketed.
One clinic reported being “overwhelmed” with requests for Pfizer, which is not on offer at GPs at the moment.
Members of the public have become abusive over the phone when they’ve been unable to get their hands on Pfizer.
The influx in requests for vaccines is in some cases impacting the ability to provide quality care to patients with staff busy answering queries.
One clinic noted the difference a few days can make; just a few weeks ago it was cancelling Covid clinics due to a lack of demand, whereas now, it’s running out of stock.
A doctor at The Avenue Family Medical Clinic in Cranbourne North, who did not wish to be named said the clinic was being careful to manage its doses to ensure there was no wastage of those precious vials.
She said the clinic was waiting eagerly for its next delivery of AstraZeneca on 11 June.
“We are planning and booking because we don’t want to throw any vials away like we did before because people booked and didn’t turn up.
“Now, everyone wants it.”
Dr Paul Tescher, clinical director at HealthMint Medical Centre in Cranbourne North, said call volume had “increased by 120 per cent following the government’s announcement”.
“We have expanded the time set aside each week for vaccines to six hours covering around 150 doses a week,” he said.
While the clinic hasn’t experienced any difficulties in getting enough vaccines, he said staff availability to administer the doses had been a “limiting factor”.
Another clinic also noted a shortage of staff to give out the jabs.
Dr Tescher recommended that people make a booking at HealthMint to reserve their AstraZeneca dose sooner rather than later.
“For people that wish to book with us, we have an online booking system and digital forms to complete prior to the visit in order for things to run smoothly and efficiently,” he said.
Other doctors also encouraged people to book directly with their clinic – and they urged the public to be patient and polite as doctors and staff work through the demand.
For more information on Covid-19 vaccines, visit https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/about-covid-19-vaccines or contact your GP.
Vaccination is one of the five reasons to leave home during the latest circuit-breaker lockdown, with Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton encouraging people to “shop around” for vaccine availability.
