By Gabriella Payne
Pakenham’s James Bathe Community and Sports Hub has been transformed into a new, walk-in Covid vaccination clinic, and staff are encouraging eligible locals to come down and do their bit for the community.
Run by community health organisation EACH, the sport hub’s pavilion provides the perfect light and airy space for community members to walk in and get their jab and only recently opened its doors to the public on Monday 2 August.
While Pfizer is on the way and should arrive in the near future, the clinic is only offering the AstraZeneca vaccine at this stage – but locals are encouraged to come down and have a chat about what option is right for them.
One of EACH’s on site nurses, Helen Burrows, said that the first few days they’d been open had been a little quiet, but now that word was getting out in the community about the clinic, all the staff “are ready to go and meet the people of Pakenham”.
“So people will come in and be checked in, and then they’ll be ushered into one of our booths – we have four at the moment, but we aim to expand in the near future,” she explained.
“You’ll come through and the nurse will collect your details and make sure that you’re not allergic to anything, and then we will give you your vaccination.
“Then you’ll come back out and wait for 15 minutes before exiting through this door here,” she said, gesturing to the doors that open out onto the expansive footy grounds, “and then, you’ve done a huge favour to both your family and community and we can’t thank you enough.”
Dr Vishal Patil said that the clinic’s trained medical staff were able to answer any questions locals may have about the vaccines, but he encouraged each individual to chat to their own GP about what option was best for them.
“Obviously once the Pfizer vaccine is available, we will get more and more of a crowd, but in terms of AstraZeneca, it’s a case by case basis,” Dr Patil said.
“It’s up to the patients to go to their regular GP and have a discussion about what is best for them, but we as an organisation will be providing vaccines as per the state guidelines.”
Doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be available for walk-in appointments, while people will need to book in to obtain their dose of the Pfizer vaccine once it arrives – which, according to staff, could be arriving “as early as next week”.
“It’s about being clear that you will be vaccinated, and if you choose not to have the AstraZeneca vaccine for any reason, then Pfizer will be coming and available very soon,” Ms Burrows said.
“We’re all very fortunate that we’ve got vaccines available, they’re free and they’re hopefully going to be easy to get.
“I’ve had AstraZeneca and I’m very happy with it!” she said.
“Medicine is always about balancing the risk with the outcome, but we are very passionate about vaccinating and getting our community safe again.”
For more information about your eligibility or the new walk-in clinic, visit https://www.each.com.au/covid-19-vaccination-clinics/
