First West Australians to receive COVID-19 jab this month as location of vaccination hubs revealed

Health Minister Roger Cook said the state government expected the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to become availabe once it was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and all West Australians to be offered a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year.

Eligible West Australians will receive two doses of the vaccine three weeks apart, administered by staff specifically trained on how to handle the vaccine.

Mr Cook said teams at the PCH vaccination hub would immunise high-risk staff at quarantine hotels and Perth’s international airport with the first doses of the vaccine.

“This is to tackle the greatest potential threat head-on,” he said.

The elderly, health care staff, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, young people with underlying medical conditions, and critical high-risk workers will receive the jab later in Phase 1 and in Phase 2.

Eligible patients will need to register for the vaccine using a WA Health booking system.

The Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at -70 degrees in ultra-low temperature freezers, which means doses can be stored for up to five days only and authorities will need to act quickly.

The vaccines in the metropolitan area will be administrated by the Child and Adolescent Health Service while those in regional areas will be managed by the Country Health Service.

They will be available for free to anyone living in Australia but are not recommended for children under the age of 16.

Australia has secured 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 53.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is estimated to be 70 per cent effective at preventing the disease and 100 per cent effective at preventing severe illness or death.

The Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology, however, has raised concerns the AstraZeneca vaccine may not be effective enough to achieve herd immunity.

Herd immunity means that such a large portion of the population is immune that a virus can no longer circulate and is eliminated.

Premier Mark McGowan said on Saturday he expected the initial rollout of the vaccine to be very limited, due to the low number of doses available to WA and the need for patients to receive two jabs three weeks apart.

“As additional vaccine types become available in larger quantities, more sites will be made available to deliver the vaccine,” Mr McGowan said.

“Our priority is to make sure that any approved vaccine that becomes available can be administered to West Australians as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible.”

Mr Cook moved quickly to dispel any myths COVID-19 vaccines would be unsafe, saying they would undergo the same stringent approval process as any other jab.

“Despite the urgency, it’s important to stress no corners have been cut,” Mr Cook said.

“I invite everyone to take the vaccination when it is made available to them.”

WA recorded no new COVID-19 cases overnight.