The first staff at Logan Hospital have received the AstraZeneca vaccination as part of the plan to protect the healthcare workers who have been working at the front line of COVID-19.
COVID-19 Screening Clinic Nurse Nellie Phillips said she was honoured to be one of the first to receive the AstraZeneca vaccination in the new clinic, established to deliver the vaccine to workers providing vital healthcare to the local community.
Ms Phillips, a nurse in the Children’s Ward, was among eight nurses to volunteer to work in the COVID-19 screening clinic in early 2020.
“It has been a really unique opportunity to work at the ground zero of the pandemic, and so to be one of the first to have the vaccine a year on—it is extremely exciting,” she said.
The first staff at Logan Hospital have received the AstraZeneca vaccination. (Photo used with permission).
Executive Director of Logan Beaudesert Health Service Noelle Cridland said this was an important day for everyone at Logan Hospital.
“Our staff have worked incredibly hard over the past 12 months to respond to the pandemic while continuing to care for our community,” she said.
“We have established screening clinics, stood up COVID wards, responded to surges in testing numbers, and retrained and redeployed staff to ensure our community has stayed safe.
“Across Metro South Health more than half a million COVID-19 tests have been performed and now it’s wonderful to see the staff who are still testing members of our community and others on the front line receive their vaccination.”
Ms Cridland said a great deal of preparation had gone into the launch of Logan Hospital’s vaccination clinic with many staff specially trained to administer the vaccine, register and monitor people after they received the dose.
“There has certainly been an air of excitement amongst our staff in the lead up to today, and I am so proud to work alongside such an incredible team” she said.
The first staff at Logan Hospital have received the AstraZeneca vaccination. (Photo used with permission).
“Once our high-risk staff who work in the screening clinic, COVID-19 ward, Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit receive their jab, we will begin work on delivering the vaccine to the rest of our health workers across Logan and Beaudesert hospitals.”
Logan Hospital was one of two hospitals to “go live” with the AstraZeneca vaccine today, with another 12 locations, including Redland Hospital, locked in place to begin vaccinations in the coming weeks.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young last week assured all Queenslanders the vaccine was effective and safe and had been reviewed and approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
