Australias first drive-through vaccination hub to be set up in Melton AZ jab now available to under 40s at state-run clinics

The nation’s first drive-through vaccination hub will be set up at a former Bunnings site in Melbourne’s west while Victorians aged 18-39 will be able to receive the AstraZeneca jab at nine of the state’s mass vaccination centres from Monday.

Children aged 12-15 with underlying health conditions will also be allowed to receive the Pfizer vaccine at state-run clinics.

Get a test - or a jab: Australia’s first drive-through vaccination hub will be set up at a former Bunnings site in Melton.Credit:Wayne Taylor

Premier Daniel Andrews said the changes were in line with advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group.

“The doctor will take them through the risk and everything they need to consider,” Mr Andrews said. “If they provide informed consent, they will receive the AstraZeneca first dose and then some 12 weeks later they will receive the second dose.”

Victoria recorded 11 new local cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, all linked to previously reported cases but who had all been in the community throughout their infectious period.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said all of the state’s new cases were linked to the Hobsons Bay cluster in Melbourne’s south-west.

There are now hundreds of staff and students from Mount Alexander College in Flemington and Ilim College’s Kiewa campus in isolation after positive cases spent time at the schools.

Professor Sutton said health authorities were taking the same approach to testing those school communities as the successful testing program conducted at Al-Taqwa College.

“We’ve had a really successful approach with Al-Taqwa [College],” Professor Sutton said.

“We’ve had more than three quarters tested in a really, really short period of time, so we’re taking the same approach with these two new sites.”

Professor Brett Sutton (right) and acting COVID-19 response commander Naomi Bromley.Credit:Paul Jeffers

Professor Sutton also reiterated calls for Victorians to get vaccinated after the state government expanded the vaccine program to allow 18-39 year olds to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine at state-run clinics.

“If I were 25 and AstraZeneca was the only vaccine available to me today, I would get it,” he said.

Acting COVID-19 response commander Naomi Bromley said Australia’s first drive-through vaccine hub, which will be operated on a former Bunnings site provided by the hardware chain , would offer just the Pfizer vaccine in its first week.

“You drive up, roll down your window, roll up your sleeve, get a job. It’s that easy,” Ms Bromley said.

“This is a fantastic addition to our existing state infrastructure, it’ll be a really good and convenient, simple, safe way for Victorians to get vaccinated.”

Ms Bromley also said children who were aged between 12 and 15 and had specified medical conditions or who were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, would be eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine at state-run clinics.

“Only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for the 12-to-15 year age group,” she said.

“Children, adolescents, young adults with underlying medical conditions do have an increased likelihood of developing severe disease and complications with COVID-19.”

A testing site has also been operating for residents of the Racecourse Road towers since about 9.30am on Sunday after running until about 10pm on Saturday.

One resident of 130 Racecourse Road, who didn’t want to be identified, said he received his negative result on Sunday morning.

He said the response from authorities had been far better than last year, when police were sent as the first response. “We need doctors and we need nurses, not police,” he said

Fisal, who is aged in his 50s and lives in one of the neighbouring towers, came down for a test “just to be safe”.

“Last year, it was complicated,” he said. “They have the idea now.”

Government sources and epidemiologists have told The Age that Victoria’s lockdown will almost certainly last for more than seven days because it could take weeks for all people to be in isolation for their infectious period.

Premier Daniel Andrews said Saturday’s 29 recorded cases, the highest daily total since September, made for a “concerning day”. Two senior Victorian government sources, speaking anonymously to make predictions about the outbreak, said it could take weeks for a ring to be put around the clusters.

However, the Premier insisted it was achievable to drive local cases to zero despite the new outbreak penetrating western suburbs communities with greater language barriers, bigger family groups and an increased proportion of essential workers who can’t work from home.

Health authorities processed 38,179 tests on Saturday and administered 17,360 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

With Hanna Mills Turbet, Paul Sakkal and Aisha Dow

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David Estcourt is a court and general news reporter at The Age.

Tammy Mills is the legal affairs reporter for The Age.

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