Pharmacy rollout helps spread the load in Wimmera's vaccine race

As the Wimmera's vaccine rates steadily rise, more and more clinics and pharmacies are joining the rollout.

Horsham Amcal pharmacist Bianca Inkster said the rollout had been very positive thus far.

"At the moment pharmacies are restricted to AstraZeneca, but we've had a lot of people being proactive; ringing and asking questions, booking online or walking in to get a vaccination," she said.

Ms Inkster said she didn't notice a drop in demand when the Victorian government expanded Pfizer eligibility.

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"Definitely not. I think the message is still strong that any vaccine is a good vaccine, and the one you can get in your arm today is the best.

"People are still opting for the AstraZeneca, which is great because it's just as effective."

In the first three weeks since it began vaccinations, Amcal Horsham has administered over 430 COVID-19 vaccinations, Ms Inkster said.

"Priceline and Terry White are doing vaccinations as well. If you add all those numbers together, plus the numbers from the state clinic and two GP clinics, they're great numbers."

The pharmacy has even begun doing walk-in vaccinations on weekends to cater for demand, Ms Inkster said.

"We're providing that service because everyone's in lockdown, and it's a reason to leave the house legitimately, to come get vaccinated.

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However, Ms Inkster said she'd like to see the region's vaccination rate ramp-up further.

"We've got a younger population as well that we need to get vaccinated. Once Moderna becomes available in late September, we should see another big group of patients become first dose vaccinated quite quickly."

In the meantime, Ms Inkster said she expects the Amcal clinic to get even busier, with the Victorian government's announcement to shorten the gap between AstraZeneca doses.

"We've had a lot of enquiries about people coming in and getting their second dose earlier, rather than waiting the 12 weeks," she said.

For Murtoa pharmacist Kai Kerai, expanding the rollout to smaller communities through pharmacies and local GPs did a lot to take the load off state-run vaccination clinics.

"Now (the government) is opening up more pharmacies and clinics, it just means a big hub like we have in Horsham isn't going to be continuously overrun. People will have options to get in a bit quicker elsewhere, which will reduce the demand in Horsham, meaning Horsham people will get in a bit quicker as well," he said.

"It just means the whole Wimmera won't be reliant on one place."

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Mr Kerai said accessibility and convenience was another benefit of the pharmacy rollout.

"Now that it's easy, now that it's right next door to them or within walking distance, they're happy to come and do it," he said.

"We're going pretty strong. We're probably doing about 20 to 30 AstraZeneca doses a week, which is not a huge amount, but for a small pharmacy, that's about our capacity.

"Because (Murtoa) is small, people can ring and we fit them in that week, or the next week."

Mr Kerai said if pharmacies had been part of the rollout earlier, Australia would be further along with its vaccination rate.

Kaniva and Dimboola Pharmacies will begin offering vaccinations around September 15 or 16, according to pharmacist Phuong Tu.

"We just wrapped (preparations in Kaniva) yesterday. We've set up an online portal and it will be bookings and walk-ins."

"We've had a lot of people calling and asking how things are going and we will potentially be referred patients who are eligible for AstraZeneca from the local doctor."

"It's just been a bit of a hurdle getting everything together and making it all government compliant. But we're pretty much ready to start taking bookings as of today."

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