February 19, 2021 12477076-DL02-21
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Fungi in focus
(Rebecca Hosking) 228441_02
Jacinta Leitch wants locals to follow her on an adventure Deep in the Forest in her upcoming exhibition unveiling the beauty and colour of tiny mushrooms. The Newtown artist has spent “many a day” during the pandemic hunting and photographing 300 species, some the size of a pinhead, from the Otways to the You Yangs. “They amaze me – they’re so beautiful when you start looking at them,” she said. “The varieties and shapes, their form and colour.” Where many might see only a small blue stain on a log, Jacinta zooms in to reveal beautiful fungi hiding in plain sight. “I got some canvasses and just decided to amuse myself by painting 100 of them,” she said. With a council COVID-19 arts, culture and heritage recovery grant, she will hold a month-long exhibition, Deep in the Forest, at Shearers Arms Gallery, Newtown, beginning March 2. “I’m hoping to inspire people to go for a walk and lose themselves in the forest.” For details search ‘Jacinta Leitch’ on Facebook. Luke Voogt
Vaccine rollout to begin By Luke Voogt The vaccination of Geelong health workers and aged care residents will begin next week with a vaccine hub to open at University Hospital Geelong. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt yesterday announced that hubs administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine would open at Geelong’s public hospital, along with three other hospitals in Melbourne. The hubs will be part of phase 1A of the Commonwealth’s rollout of the vaccine beginning next Monday, Mr Hunt announced. Under phase 1A, aged care and disability
care staff and health workers most at risk of contracting COVID-19, such as intensive care and emergency department staff, will receive the jab. Aged care and disabled residents at public facilities and homes in Drysdale, Lara, Ocean Grove, Point Lonsdale and Portarlington will also begin receiving the jab, along with quarantine and border workers. Earlier this week Barwon Health issued paperwork to staff to sign their consent to be vaccinated in preparation for the rollout. In a recent online statement Barwon Health said its immunisation program would commence as soon as it received supplies of
the Pfizer vaccine. “Barwon Health will also provide support and co-ordination to the entire Barwon South West region, including the private healthcare systems.” The first 142,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in Australia earlier this week. In later phases of the Commonwealth rollout, aimed at inoculating the rest of Australia, many will receive the less effective but easier-to-store Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, which the Therapeutic Goods Administration recently approved. Barwon Health stated that the overall vaccination program would depend on GPs and pharmacists, once the AstraZeneca vaccine
becomes available. “The program will take at least six months to achieve the overall levels of immunisation the government is targeting,” the health provider said. “Thanks to the excellent public health response that has controlled the spread locally, we can afford to take the time to do this in a safe and controlled way.” The Independent understands that Barwon Health is still finalising the logistics and details of how it will distribute the vaccine during phase 1A. Barwon Health is expected to provide further details today.
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