Friday, July 23, 2021 « the western weekender
NEPEAN CLINIC REACHES HUGE VACCINE MILESTONE
A vaccine milestone has been hit.
Racing to protect the community against COVID-19, the Nepean vaccination clinic has now delivered 25,000 doses. NBMLHD Director of Public Health, Dr Victor Carey said everyone should be congratulated for reaching the milestone and urges people to book in if they are not vaccinated. “Our vaccination clinic and the staff have been extremely busy vaccinating the local
community and it’s been encouraging to see so many people attending to receive their doses,” Dr Carey said. “If you are eligible to receive the vaccine, now is the time to make that appointment and book it in.” To find a clinic location and appointment bookings visit, https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility.
More under 40s opt for AstraZeneca
Ben Cummins after getting his shot.
ARM AGAINST COVID-19 A COVID-19 vaccine is your best defence and our only way forward. Now’s the time to arm yourself, your family, your friends, your work mates, your community – someone you love. Book your vaccination online or call 1800 020 080.
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Local school teacher Ben Cummins is among the thousands of people under 40 rolling up their sleeves and getting the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. When Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that AstraZeneca would be opened up to under 40s with informed consent, 37-year-old Mr Cummins jumped at the opportunity. “With the past few weeks and being in a career where I deal with hundreds of children a day and with the new Delta strain showing the risk to staff and students, I didn’t want to wait,” the Ropes Crossing resident said. “I made a phone call to my local GP who wouldn’t do it as they’re busy with those over 60, so I found another GP who was fantastic, he asked me questions about my health history, asked what I know about the risk and then away we went. The fact is the more people who get vaccinated the sooner we can end this zero-COVID madness and the potential of lockdown.” Mr Cummins said the ever-changing advice around AstraZeneca and talk of side effects, which are rare, did not overly concern him. “With every medication there is a risk involved, it’s very much a matter of risk/reward,” he said. “I did the reading, I assessed the risk and with both my parents having the AstraZeneca and my father and fatherin-law both with heart/blood pressure issues I wanted to do my part to help protect them, my wife and my friends and family.” Mr Cummins is hoping vaccination rates continue to rise in Australia, knowing it’s the key to avoiding future lockdowns and opening up international travel in the future. “This idea of ‘COVID isn’t here’ is a myth and something which cannot be maintained long term, life needs to get back to normal,” he said. “People cannot stay home, we need social interaction, we need an income, kids need school, and we need to open up to the world. I look at Europe, USA and other countries with high vaccination and while cases still happen, deaths aren’t and that’s the key.” Mr Cummins said he understands why there’s concerns from some around the vaccines, but says it’s important to be properly informed: “Speak to your GP, know the risk, don’t just get sucked into a fear campaign.” Anyone under 40 considering getting the AstraZeneca vaccine should talk to their doctor. – Troy Dodds