While some who contacted The Age said they had appointments for today and had no indications there was any problem, others – in dozens of messages sent on Monday morning – said they were experiencing delays at their GP clinic or pharmacy.
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Another mother, Cate Turner, who had booked her child at a Richmond GP in mid-December, and had the booking confirmed on 28 December, was told on January 1 that her appointment needed to be rescheduled “due to unprecedented demand”.
“If I’d known that it was going to be cancelled, I would have quickly looked around for other places,” she said. “I’ve now made an appointment elsewhere for the 28th but we know he’s going back to school on the 31st.”
Another parent, Michelle, who asked that her surname not be used, said her partner had tried to get a booking at their local Coburg pharmacy only to be told the pharmacy “has childrens’ vaccinations available but not enough staff to administer them – due to staff isolating”.
The Australian Medical Association’s Victorian branch and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners have both said deliveries of child vaccines to GPs and pharmacies had been “unreliable”.
But federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Sunday that there was ample supply of vaccines for children, who will start getting vaccinated from Monday across the country at 8000 GPs, pharmacists and state-run clinics. “Every child that wants to be vaccinated can be vaccinated,” Mr Hunt said.
Over the course of January there would be ample slots for children to get a jab, he said.
The Victorian state-run clinics appear to have adequate supply, but The Age has contacted the state Department of Health for comment on the situation in these centres.
Shaky start to child COVID vaccinations for some, as parents report cancellations
Source: Philippines Alive
