Covid Vaccines.

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06/05/2021- advice for the fortnight 6/5 til 20/5.

The pandemic is not over. There is unexplained transmission in Sydney, which means there are people circulating in society with COVID who are unaware of that.  It is to be expected that there will be intermittent outbreaks for months to come. Keep up your social distancing and infection control behaviours, even once vaccinated.

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***Anybody with symptoms, no matter how mild, needs testing even if they have not been to a hotspot, because no-one knows where the next hotspot will be. Don't be that person who doesn't get tested and causes a lockdown. ****

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We are now taking names and doing the covid vaccinations. You can ring and we will put you on the list, and in time allocate an appointment.  We are receiving 100 vaccinations a week, and we have about 2500 active patients on the books, so clearly it will take months to work through everyone. Be patient. 

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Please check on this government website before ringing to confirm you are eligible. Anyone over 50 will be eligible from mid May.

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If you are not a regular patient then we may not be able to allocate you an appointment until we are getting more doses per week.

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The vaccination we have been allocated is the Astrazeneca vaccine. Here is the latest information about it.  Two doses are required 12 weeks apart.  It is becoming clear that this vaccine can cause a serious complication of blood clots and bleeding effecting the brain. The risk of this is low - about the same as the risk of dying in a car accident in the next month. It is worse for younger people, and so the government has recommended that we not use this vaccine in people under 50, unless there is particularly high risk of getting covid (eg if you must go overseas to an outbreak area for work.)

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The government has suggested there will be mass vaccination clinics, but the details of these are not yet finalised. 

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The annual influenza vaccination is also now available.

There is a three week gap needed between flu and covid vaccinatrions. You can get the influenza vaccine for free if you are over 65, or you are between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, or you are aboriginal or TS Islander, are pregnant, or you have a serious long term health condition like diabetes.

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Do not enter the surgery if you have any symptoms like cough/runny nose/sore throat/fever - we will instruct you on what to do over the phone.

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Masks are no longer a requirement of NSW public health. Nevertheless, we would recommend continuing to use one to minimise risk.

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PHONE or VIDEO consultations are available for most matters and are a convenient and safe method of consultation during this time.

 

There is no need to put off your health needs because of the pandemic - we can do almost everything over the phone, and we are keeping the surgery as safe as possible if you do need to attend in person.

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Obviously we all would prefer face to face consultations, but safety needs to be the first priority. 

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Covid swabs will be performed if necessary for regular patients outside in the back courtyard or in your car.

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For NSW government information about covid 19 click here.

For federal government information click here.

The national covid hotline is 1800 020 080.

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Remember, if you are unwell with any of these symptoms:

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Cough/cold/runny nose/sore throat/fever/ new skin rash/ loss of sense of smell then it is your duty to stay home from work/school/church or any public place until you have been tested and recovered (regardless of the test result). If you are unsure please ring us and we will give you instructions. 

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Remember that most people get Covid from their friends and family when they least expect it.

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