Snapshot- April 9th, 2021

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Snapshot Zooming in on the latest news from St John of God SEM Hospitals (Berwick, Frankston, Pinelodge, Langmore)

9th April, 2021

Flu vaccines coming to a SEM hospital near you! We’re all suffering from vaccine-fatigue at the moment with news of the Covid vaccines dominating much of our air space these days. However, let’s not become complacent despite the fact that confirmed flu cases dropped by 300,000 to a meagre 21,215 in Australia last year. As we all know, 2020 was a year like no other and yet so much uncertainty around 2021 continues to remain. According to the Department of Health, lower flu numbers were due to border closures, reduced social interactions, better hygiene, and most importantly, higher levels of influenza vaccination. Given life is getting back to normal here in Victoria and social gatherings are back on the agenda—now is not the time to forgo the annual flu jab. Next week Berwick hospital is rolling out its first Flu Clinic on Tuesday, 13 April from 10:30am-5:30pm in the Wexford Room (Level 2). Suzi Marquez, Berwick’s Infection Control Coordinator, wants caregivers to be mindful of physical distancing and she asks that consideration be made when you arrive, especially if there are already a number of people ahead of you. If that is the case, you can come back in an hour or so, or wait for the next flu clinic to be held. There will be further clinics scheduled. Caregivers from all SEM hospitals are welcome to attend the Berwick clinic. For Frankston and Pinelodge caregivers, Kerry Plancke, Infection Control Coordinator, will be scheduling flu clinics between April 26 and May 23. All caregivers are required to fill out the consent form prior to vaccination. Contact your Infection Control team for more information. Please note: For caregivers aged 65 years and over, a quadrivalent vaccine with an adjuvant known to increase the immunogenicity of vaccines will be made available but will not be accessible at Berwick’s first flu clinic.


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