As he celebrated Orange's first COVID-19 vaccinations being administered behind him on Friday morning, Federal Member for Calare Andrew Gee also addressed recent confusion regarding when the jabs would actually begin in Orange.
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After Orange's aged and disability care facilities were included in Pfizer vaccine roll-out's first phase Mr Gee indicated vaccinations would begin 'early in the week', with Department of Health communications suggesting as early as last Monday.
Neither came to fruition, the early stages of the week descending into relative uncertainty as confirmation wasn't available from Mr Gee's office or the the Department of Health, with aged-care facilities advised to push enquiries to the latter as well.
The roll-out is a massive logistical exercise, probably one of the biggest peace-time exercises Australia has ever undertaken.
- Federal Member for Calare Andrew Gee
A number of aged-care facilities were, reportedly, expecting the vaccine to arrive on Thursday as well but jabs actually began on Friday, with Ascott Gardens aged-care facility receiving the first of those.
Mr Gee acknowledged the perceived uncertainty, but also sent a reminder of the sheer magnitude of the federal government's roll-out.
"Getting hung up on whether it was [Thursday] or [Friday], I don't think that's really the point. The point is that it's here now," Mr Gee said.
"The roll-out is a massive logistical exercise, probably one of the biggest peace-time exercises Australia has ever undertaken and, so, if it's a day or two late everyone needs to be patient.
"We said that Orange was going to be included in week one and it is. Whilst I think it would've been great to have it done [on Thursday], here we are 24 hours later, with vaccinations beginning.
"We should be counting our blessings ... we live in this country and we have the resources to have this vaccine available."
Mr Gee went on to explain the need for 'military precision' in delivering and administering the vaccines, along with the relative instability of the doses themselves.
"When you have an exercise this large there will always be logistical issues with it, but we are on track," he said.
"They have to roll it out this way because the Pfizer vaccine has to be kept at minus 70 degrees and as soon as you take it out it has a limited shelf life, so it needs to be administered quickly without wasting any doses.
"So teams have to come into the facilities, residents can't go to them and it all has to be done very methodically, it really has to be rolled out with military precision because of the characteristics of this vaccine.
"The time will come when you'll be able to get the vaccine at your chemist or doctor, we will get there, I promise we will, but isn't it great we've started now?
"We should be grateful we're getting it and grateful our country will also be making the AstraZeneca vaccine, we're making 50-odd million doses here in Australia.
"We're much better off than other countries, we're lucky ... we've controlled this pandemic, we've got the vaccine rolling out and our economy is much better than the rest of the world."
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