Pfizer arrives in Warwick

Carbal Medical Services Registered Nurse Deborah Dixon and Doctor Peter Ong with the centre's freshly delivered Pfizer vaccines. Picture: JESS BAKER

By Dominique Tassell

Carbal Medical Services in Warwick is currently the only place in the region where locals can get their Pfizer jab.

A staff member at Carbal Medical Services says that anyone over 18 can come in and get their vaccine even if they’re not a current patient at the centre.

Patients over 60 are currently being offered the Astra Zeneca vaccine, and can only get the Pfizer vaccine upon getting a medical certificate stating they should.

Patients under 60 can choose to get the Astra Zeneca vaccine.

Before getting any Covid-19 vaccine at Carbal Medical Services, patients will talk to a GP and have their blood pressure and other standard health checks before the GP approves them to get the vaccine.

“We don’t do anything without GP approval,” a staff member says.

If patients decide not to get a vaccine after seeing a GP, that is perfectly fine.

From mid-July, Pittsworth Medical Centre and Granite Belt Medical Services will also be administering the Pfizer vaccine.

A staff member at Pittsworth Medical Centre says they are currently offering the Astra Zeneca vaccine, and will be able to provide the Pfizer to the community by 19 July.

She says they know they are “one of very few” places in the area who will be offering the Pfizer vaccine, and are trying their best to make it a smooth process.

Granite Belt Medical Services say they will vaccinate frontline workers first, such as health care and aged care.

They noted that Villa Carramar workers have to be vaccinated by mid-September.

As a vial of the Pfizer vaccine has to be used within two hours of opening, the centre will be lining up 6 appointments in a row.

The centre is offering the Astra Zeneca vaccine to anyone who wants it, but they will have to have GP consultation first. Granite Belt Medical Services does not offer this, but recommends the Condamine Clinic.

While they are a private clinic, all vaccines are bulk-billed.

Condamine Medical Centre is also accepting names for a Pfizer wait-list, though cannot confirm when they will have the vaccine.

They are only providing the Astra Zeneca vaccine to residents over 60, and are just “trying to follow the directive” and health advice they are given.

Australia is expecting to receive 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and Moderna vaccine from mid-October.