couldn’t they have given you a referral for a PCR test via text.
Yeah, harder in regional towns to get that done.
Doesn’t help that people beat each other up in supermarkets.
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haha - turns out I don’t have a Doctor anymore, mine resigned during covid, and patients weren’t told. The surgery he was at had no capacity to see me because it had been some time since I’d seen my Doctor and their books are shut.
Very few surgeries in town have open books for new patients - having cold/flu symptoms on top of that meant that no one was that enamored to see me. Was able to get an appointment about 7 days after my initial enquiry
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I’m a teacher and there is a kid that carries an entire bottle of sanitiser to every class, I have always wondered whether this would be a problem (I don’t know as I’m not a classroom teacher/coordinator, only teach one subject).
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A very sad story of the mental health toll that some of the more extreme border closure measures had.
Don’t get me wrong, the border closure itself was not an issue and absolutely justified, however there should have always been a path home for Western Australians via 2-3 week quarantine no matter where they were. The lack of that option was a pretty blatant breach of human rights and a massive failure of organisation on the part of the WA government in my view.
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When I was still working in retail I literally watched a guy sneakily grab a store-issued hand sanitized pump bottle and fill up a bottle he had brought from home. And this is way back at the start of covid when it was mayham at supermarkets for no reason and there were shortages everywhere.
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Maybe because the Dailymail runs stories everyday about “sudden deaths” of people but don’t explain how…
I think the biggest issue is that there’s no easy walk in option to get a booster these days. The healthdirect website is clear as mud when it comes showing places that are doing the booster.
I easily booked a slot at one of many local pharmacies that were offering the booster and got a shot before I went overseas a couple of months ago. It was very simple. I think I’m up to my 4th or 5th dose. I’ve lost count. I’ve also never had covid. Really bizarre but I’m one of very few people I know that hasn’t had it. Well at least I don’t know I’ve had it. I’ve regularly tested but alas pretty lucky I guess.
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Just tested this out, in a city of 100,000 people, one clinic is doing online bookings and it’s Friday afternoons only. Certainly not good enough if they’re serious about it.
That’s really weird. So no pharmacies in your area are doing it? I have three in our local shops that do it. Admittedly we are over subscribed with chemists in my area we have seven pharmacies including chemist wearhouse and Priceline.
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Doesn’t look like it, if they are they’re taking phone bookings only. There’s enough pharmacies, so think the issue must be staffing.
Never heard of a “bivalent” booster before this article was published. Whatever promotion has been done has been poor.
I think there is just a lot of vaccination fatigue around.
The NSW Govt is looking to end its last 2 remaining COVID restrictions - mask wearing on cruise ships and in hospitals, possibly as early as 1st week of September.
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https://twitter.com/BigBadDenis/status/1697471441342787736
https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/additional-covid-19-vaccine-dose-recommended-for-adults-aged-75-and-over?language=en
The Australian Government has accepted advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) that all adults aged 75 years and older should receive an additional 2023 COVID vaccine dose if six months have passed since their last dose.
The Government has also accepted a recommendation from ATAGI that adults aged 65 to 74 years, or those aged 18 to 64 years who are severely immunocompromised, should consider an additional dose if 6 months have passed since their last dose.
The latest advice recognises that older age remains the biggest risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease.
The primary aim of COVID-19 vaccination continues to be to reduce the risk of serious illness and death. This is particularly important for older adults and those with risk factors for severe disease.
Much of the Australian population, particularly younger people with no other medical conditions, are currently well protected due to a combination of previous vaccinations and prior infection. This age group is not recommended for an additional dose at this stage.
Those who were recommended to have a 2023 booster earlier this year, but have not yet had one, are still able to access a booster dose and are encouraged to do so.
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So that would make a sixth vaccine for the elderly or immunocompromised?
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At least you could say you’ve been sex-vaxxed.