In the mass vaccination campaign led by health service agencies such as Austin Health, Western Health and Monash Health, some major Melbourne hospitals will set up COVID-19 vaccine centers and be equipped with ultra-low temperature freezers to store Pfizer vaccines. The Australian Medicines Agency (TGA) approved Pfizer’s vaccine for use in Australia on Monday. Starting from the middle of next month, the vaccine will be given priority to high-risk groups, including nursing home residents, medical staff and personnel engaged in hotel quarantine and border control.
Julian Rait, president of the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said he learned that Austin Health, Western Health and Monash Health will be responsible for managing the Pfizer Vaccine Center in the metropolitan area and store their respective vaccine doses in special freezers. It will also open its own vaccination clinic.
Pfizer vaccine must be stored in an ultra-low temperature freezer at minus 70 degrees. Hospitals already have this kind of freezer, and the price of each freezer is between 5,000 Australian dollars and 20,000 Australian dollars, but small medical centers and general practitioner (GP) clinics usually do not. The authorities are also investigating stadiums in Mexico City to determine whether they are suitable for mass vaccination. The football field can vaccinate approximately 60 people at the same time while meeting social distancing requirements.
