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Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf on Mixed one oh four

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Speaker 1: point nine thanks to Joyce Main Darwin. It is just

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Speaker 1: on fourteen minutes away from ten o'clock and we are

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Speaker 1: due to get the latest in local news headlines with

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Speaker 1: Mattie Hepworth very shortly but joining me on the line

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Speaker 1: right now, the Department of Health top end Health Service

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Speaker 1: Chief Operating Officer Michelle McKay. Good morning to.

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Speaker 2: You, Michelle, Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 1: Now Michelle, we know that obviously the vaccine rollout is

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Speaker 1: going to be well commencing, I believe from today from

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Speaker 1: the department's perspective, how is it going to work?

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Speaker 2: Yes, you're right, We do start today and you're miss

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Speaker 2: says Willard's seen vaccines arriving not just in the territory

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Speaker 2: but states across the country in the last twenty four

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Speaker 2: hours for the first day and this year the beginning,

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Speaker 2: we're starting in the Darwin Hub which is on the

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Speaker 2: side of the Royal Darwin Hospital, and then later this

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Speaker 2: week the Alla Springs Hospital Hub will commence as well.

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Speaker 2: We're starting quite slowly this first few days. It's a

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Speaker 2: complex process to do mass vaccinations in the way we

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Speaker 2: are The vaccine itself is a little unusual, and that

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Speaker 2: there's multiple doses per file which is not which is

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Speaker 2: just an unusual way of having the vaccine arrived. So

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Speaker 2: there's a bit for us to make sure our processes

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Speaker 2: are fund and then we'll be able to increase.

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Speaker 1: And obviously we're expecting some of those frontline workers and

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Speaker 1: those or those that are that are I guess exposed

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Speaker 1: on you know, on the front line to be vaccinated

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Speaker 1: first off, but how quickly will it will it roll out, Michelle?

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Speaker 1: How many people per week?

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Speaker 2: So at the moment we are commencing Phase one A,

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Speaker 2: and you're exactly right, that's quarantine border workers and some

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Speaker 2: of our frontline healthcare staff who are most at risk

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Speaker 2: of exposure to the virus. The Commonwealth government is also

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Speaker 2: forgetting their vaccination program of aged care residents and staff

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Speaker 2: and disability clients and staff for disability consumers who live

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Speaker 2: in in supported accommodation arrangements. So that Phase one A

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Speaker 2: for the territory will be for our part of the program.

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Speaker 2: It's in the region of three thousand people and we

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Speaker 2: would hope that all our planning is it all three

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Speaker 2: thousand well have had their first stop within this next

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Speaker 2: couple of weeks, wow next day. So Phase one B

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Speaker 2: is where we start to see all adults of the

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Speaker 2: age of seventy and aficional try straight armed to people

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Speaker 2: over the age of sixty five, plus the rest of

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Speaker 2: our healthcare workers as well as younger people with underlying illnesses.

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Speaker 2: So that's a much much larger as you'd appreciate. We're

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Speaker 2: working closely with the Commonwealth, but at this point in

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Speaker 2: time we don't have a start date for that part

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Speaker 2: of the program. But your listeners will know that we

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Speaker 2: had a second vaccine approved last week, the astra Zeneca vaccine,

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Speaker 2: so that will increase the supply that we're getting. That

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Speaker 2: we don't have an exact timeline just yet.

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Speaker 1: How difficult is it really going to be to roll out,

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Speaker 1: particularly when we get to the point where it needs

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Speaker 1: to be rolled out to remote communities and more remote

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Speaker 1: areas of the territory.

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Speaker 2: So it is complex, it's large, and it's complex, there's

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Speaker 2: no doubt about that. Even the fact that you're going

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Speaker 2: to have two doses makes it much more complex. But

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Speaker 2: we've got a very good vaccination rate and the territory

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Speaker 2: territories are very good at getting vaccinated and our remote communities,

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Speaker 2: whether their health provider is an organization from the Aboriginal

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Speaker 2: Community Control sector or whether it's an Northern Territory government.

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Speaker 2: We're used to delivering vaccine programs. This one's larger, more complex,

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Speaker 2: but we do have good experience in how to do that.

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Speaker 1: How are all the staff feeling at the moment, Michelle,

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Speaker 1: I mean it's going to be a massive roll out

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Speaker 1: by the sounds of things. How's everybody feeling? Well?

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Speaker 2: I think people are excited. It's you know, in some

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Speaker 2: ways it's hard to cut down mind back to when

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Speaker 2: we didn't have the coronavirus as part of our lives,

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Speaker 2: and so it's a real step change in our approach,

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Speaker 2: which is a great thing and people are looking forward

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Speaker 2: to that.

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Speaker 1: Michelle. I know that around the nation over the weekends

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Speaker 1: there's been cohorts of anti vaxxers out rallying and you know,

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Speaker 1: sort of trying to discourage people from having the vaccine.

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Speaker 1: I mean, what would you say to those people out

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Speaker 1: there listening this morning who are just feeling a bit concerned.

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Speaker 2: So we've got a very very robust and rigorous safety

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Speaker 2: regime for vaccinations in Australia. The Therapeutic Goods Administration, which

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Speaker 2: is the title of the organization, very very thorough and

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Speaker 2: their advice is consistently that these vaccines are safe and

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Speaker 2: they are effected. And consequently, we're strongly recommending that everyone

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Speaker 2: who's eligible to have it doesn't have one or two

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Speaker 2: best case movie. We do recognize theres some people who

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Speaker 2: have concerned about vaccinations. We're recommending that those people talk

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Speaker 2: to their healthcare provider and better understand what it is

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Speaker 2: about their concerns that we might be able to address.

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Speaker 2: And we'd also very strongly encourage people who are looking

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Speaker 2: for additional information on the vaccines to access health websites

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Speaker 2: and reputable site for their information.

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Speaker 1: Very good advice. I reckon Michelle. Michelle McKay, the Department

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Speaker 1: of Health Top End Health Service Chief Operating Officer. I

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Speaker 1: really appreciate you having a chat with me this morning.

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Speaker 2: Pleasure.

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Speaker 1: Thank you,