How will I know when it’s my turn to get the vaccine?
Australia’s vaccine rollout is happening in five priority stages, beginning with those most at risk of contracting or developing complications from COVID-19.
If you’re confused about which group you’re in, you can .
It will ask you a few questions about your age, health and occupation and then tell you roughly when that phase is set to begin.
A Department of Health spokesperson told SBS News it will announce when each phase begins, and those who are eligible will be given the “first available” doses.
Do I need to register or go on a vaccine waiting list?
No, you don’t need to register to get the vaccine and there is no waiting list. All you need to do is identify what phase of the rollout you fit into, and then make an appointment when it’s your turn to get the shot.
More than 4,600 general practices have now been approved to administer the vaccine from the beginning of Phase 1b.
President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Dr Karen Price found out her practice - Nepean Health Care in Melbourne - was approved to participate in the rollout last week.
“It's thrilling,” she said. “It really is a moment in history and we're all invested in getting to the other side of this pandemic. It really is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Dr Karen Price, president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Source: RACGP
“The last six months, in my practice, we’ve been talking to patients about the vaccination as information comes to light, and lately we’re talking about whereabouts they might be on the list and what we think might be happening in terms of contacting them.”
While Dr Price said there are still a few details to be worked out between the government and practitioners, she encouraged people who think they may be eligible to reach out to their GP.
“People who have chronic medical conditions will be seeing their medical practitioners more often, so in your next consultation, have a chat to your GP about the vaccine,” Dr Price said.
“Those people are asking us whether or not we think they are eligible, and we’re informing them at that level.”
What if I don’t have a regular GP?
It’s OK if you don’t have a regular GP. Starting from Phase 1b, the Department of Health will publish a list of all the COVID-19 vaccination clinics, so you can find one near you. That will include GPs, pharmacies, and state and territory-run vaccination clinics.
But Dr Price said having a regular GP leads to better health outcomes, and encouraged anyone without a go-to doctor to use this as an opportunity to get one.
“It's an investment in your health to have a regular GP,” she said.
“But we know we're going to be seeing patients not just from our clinic, but perhaps from other clinics too, and we're happy to provide that service for the community, because this is an enormous rollout, and we really need to have everyone vaccinated.
Melbourne man James Shepperd will be eligible for the jab in the next phase, 1b.
The 34-year-old was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy about five years ago and had a heart transplant in 2018, placing him in the highest risk category for COVID-19 complications.
“All transplantees live a life on immunosuppression medication,” he said. “Basically, our bodies are so smart that when you put a foreign object in, including a foreign organ, the body thinks it doesn't belong there and, like any germ or virus, it tries to attack it.”
James Sheppard and his fiancée. Source: Supplied
Mr Shepperd said 2020 was a “rollercoaster” for him and his fiancee, who both had to take every precaution to make sure he didn’t become infected - especially during Melbourne’s two major outbreaks.
For Mr Shepperd, the vaccine will mean he can finally start catching public transport again, going to watch sport every weekend and catch up with his loved ones.
“Being able to move around freely, to catch up with friends and family and bigger groups - things that we've had to put off - and being able to say I feel comfortable about doing this again and getting back to some sort of normality in life is really exciting.”
Mr Shepperd is looking forward to being vaccinated. Source: Supplied
“I just can't wait for that phone call or letter in the mail to say ‘Alright, you're up next, and let's go and get it done.’”
What will happen at my vaccine appointment?
Dr Price said while it may vary slightly from clinic to clinic, this is most likely how a vaccine visit will go:
“You'll be walked in, you'll be spoken to about how much you're aware of, what's going on, and we’ll get your consent,” she said.
“Then, you'll be taken into another area, where we’ll again check that we know who you are - your ID and so forth - and then the vaccination will be administered.
“Then, you’ll be moved into a waiting area, where you’ll undergo observation and I expect you’ll be handed information regarding any side effects you might experience - which we think are only going to be mild - and when your next appointment will be.”
Dr Price said you should always try to have your second dose at the same clinic.
Do I need a Medicare card to get the vaccine?
The vaccine will be freely available to everyone in Australia - not just citizens and residents.
If you’re not eligible for Medicare, the Department of Health says you should register for an Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) and take that number along with you to your vaccination appointment.
From Phase 1b, the Department of Health says people without Medicare should book into a Commonwealth-funded GP clinic or a state or territory-run vaccination clinic for their free vaccine.
Have there been any vaccine scams?
Yes. Australia’s vaccine rollout began 10 days ago and Scamwatch has already received 32 reports of vaccine-related scams.
They have included investment scams, survey scams aimed at getting your personal information, phishing scams via email and fake vaccine insurance scams.
But the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has also been monitoring vaccine scams overseas.
ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said vaccine scams have already appeared “in the thousands” in both the UK and the US.
“The sorts of things we're seeing are scammers selling fake appointments to get vaccinated, and scarily, in the US, we've seen stories of scammers going around and administering fake vaccines, which I understand are either mineral water or saline solutions,” she said.
“Inevitably, we find that scams that start to appear in the US and the UK will appear in Australia if they haven't already, and we know scammers like to attach scams to anything that's topical and a real source of interest to the general public.”
How do I avoid being scammed?
Ms Rickard said you should never have to hand over money for a vaccine and you should only be taking vaccine advice from the Department of Health or your doctor.
“What it's important for people to remember in Australia is you can't jump the queue here, there's an orderly process for rolling out the vaccine.”
“Secondly, the vaccine here is free and it also has a whole range of storage requirements, so don't go buying things off the internet or where people are offering to sell it to you. It will be a scam and it will probably be a fake, so stay well away from that.”
Ms Rickard said the ACCC was also aware that people from non-English speaking backgrounds are often targeted by scammers in their own language more broadly.
“There’s an awful lot of fake information around, around COVID-19, around the vaccine, and you should only take your information from reliable sources, from the Health Department, from the doctors,” she said.
“Whatever you do, don't take your information just off the internet and social media, because there's a lot of misinformation out there.”
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