Welcome to the Blackburn Specialist Centre
We pride ourselves on a high level of professionalism whilst offering a warm and caring environment to our patients, staff & Specialists.
We have a broad range of highly regarded consulting Specialists and Allied Health Professionals. Most of our Specialists require a referral from your GP, but many Allied Health Professionals do not need a referral. Please telephone us on 9875 1161 if you are unsure whether you need a referral.
MANAGING COVID AT HOME
Most people who test positive for COVID-19 will likely only experience mild symptoms and recover without requiring special treatment or hospitalisation, especially if fully vaccinated. The RACGP have produced a very useful Covid-19 patient guide, which will help reassure you about what is normal and when to seek further help: https://www.racgp.org.au/FSDEDEV/media/documents/Clinical%20Resources/Guidelines/Managing-mild-COVID-19-at-home-with-assistance-from-your-GP.pdf
If you want to talk to a GP about your results or any symptoms, please make a telehealth appointment.
COVID VACCINE BOOKINGS OPEN FOR AGES 5-11
First session will be held on Saturday 15 January 2022.
You are now able to book an online appointment for a Pfizer vaccine for your 5-11 yr olds. Simply log into our online bookings and search for ‘Covid vaccine 5-11’. These sessions are held in the Blackburn Specialist Centre on Saturday afternoons. Due to space constraints and in order to provide an efficient service, we request you to attend with a ratio of one adult for every child being vaccinated. Please arrange for any children not being vaccinated to be looked after elsewhere. You only need to make an appointment for the first vaccination. We will provide a booking for the second dose (scheduled 8 weeks later).
COVID VACCINE BOOSTERS – WE ARE DOING THE BEST WE CAN. PLEASE BE PATIENT….
From 4 Jan 2021 – booster allowed at 4 months after second dose.
From 31 Jan 2021 – booster allowed at 3 months after second dose.
We are able to offer a booster dose for patients aged 18 and over who have received their first two doses of any of the Covid vaccines.
We will schedule boosters and contact all of the patients who have had their second dose at Blackburn Clinic. You will receive a text message or phone call with details of the scheduled appointment. If this date does not suit you or you do not want to proceed, please telephone the clinic to adjust your appointment. We will try our best to bring you in earlier if requested, but cannot guarantee this.
DESPITE THE REDUCED GAPS BETWEEN THE SECOND DOSE AND BOOSTERS, WE REMAIN LIMITED BY STOCK AVAILABILITY AND WORKFORCE. If we can get extra vaccines and can find the staff to put on even more weekend clinics, we will do so. We understand if patients choose to access a booster earlier elsewhere (please phone to cancel your appointment if this happens so we can offer it to someone else).
Our Covid vaccine stock comes from the Federal Government and the supply chain is a four week process. We are only able to order more stock once every fortnight. Then we wait around 3 weeks for that stock to arrive!
Then we need to organise staff to prepare for the vaccine clinics, book the appointments, administer the vaccines and monitor patients after their injection. Our staff have been amazing in 2020 and 2021 and worked extremely hard but we simply cannot click our fingers and magically make this happen – we need time to get the stock and organise our Covid vaccine clinics. Therefore, most of our Covid Booster Clinics will start on January 1st as previously advertised.
Current patients who did not have their Covid vaccines with us, you are very welcome to telephone the clinic to book in for your booster dose. We will need to know the date that you received your second dose.
The preferred vaccine for the booster dose is Pfizer. If there is a reason why you would prefer an Astra Zeneca booster, then please telephone the clinic and we will arrange a time for you.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said this about Covid vaccine protection: “Just because you get to three months, or four months, or five months, or six months you do not immediately lose your protection, that is not the case.” “It does decease over time, it remains in place for severe infection, but it is diminished for Omicron compared with Delta.”
COVID-19 VACCINATIONS
BLACKBURN CLINIC IS STILL PROVIDING BOTH ASTRA ZENECA AND PFIZER VACCINATIONS.
ALL COVID VACCINE BOOKINGS (EXCEPT FOR AGES 5-11) MUST BE MADE BY TELEPHONING THE CLINIC.
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THIRD DOSE
Please note, this is not the same as booster doses. Third doses are for people with immune compromising conditions or medications (eg. cancer, chemotherapy).
If you regularly attend Blackburn Clinic, please call the clinic for an appointment to determine your eligibility. If you are not our regular patient, please arrange a letter confirming eligibility from your GP or relevant specialist, or use the eligibility declaration form.
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For further information about the Astra Zeneca vaccine (including side effects such as the rare blood clotting condition) on the links below:
For further information about the Pfizer vaccine, please click on the link below:
HOW TO GET PROOF OF YOUR COVID-19 VACCINATION
You can get proof via your Medicare online account through myGov, or the Express Plus Medicare mobile app. See this link for instructions:
