Forum –
Today I took my disabled 79-year-old partner to Wyong Hospital to obtain an early booster COVID 19 vaccine.
He had his second AstraZeneca in August.
We went to the hospital as we have been unable to get in to his GP.
My partner has emphysema, diabetes, and has had several strokes.
I believe these conditions make him more vulnerable than most of us.
He is unable to walk unaided amd for an outing like this we have to use a wheelchair as he cannot walk far even with a walker.
We were very upset to find that he does not meet the criteria for obtaining an early booster shot.
Apparently he is not vulnerable enough!
Our government would rather see my partner out in the community effectively unvaccinated for the next month against the new variant Omicron.
This government and its bureaucrats are always a step behind what is going on in the real world.
It would be reassuring to know that there is a doctor or nurse in the Wyong Hospital Vaccine Clinic who is qualified enough to offer the vaccine booster to someone as vulnerable as my partner despite him not meeting the bureaucratic criteria.
I have rung Emma McBride and she will be writing to the Health Minister Greg Hunt regarding this issue.
I’m sure my partner won’t be the only vulnerable person to be so poorly treated.
I’m very disappointed that my efforts to keep my partner safe have been thwarted by people who are supposed to look after those less fortunate in our community.
I understand that we have to have rules but there should always be some flexibility in our health system.
Email, Dec 15
Jo Ellery, Wyong