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Speaker 1: We also know that yesterday the Northern Territory government announced

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Speaker 1: that the Darwin Vaccination Center in Marara is going to

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Speaker 1: add to its operations from today to help protect some

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Speaker 1: of the territories most vulnerable against influenza. It is part

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Speaker 1: of a three week blitz ahead of the clinic's closure.

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Speaker 1: So we know that there has been an increase in

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Speaker 1: those flu numbers in recent weeks. And joining me on

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Speaker 1: the line to talk more about this is Bevini Patel,

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Speaker 1: the Executive Director of Medicine Management. Good morning to you, Bevini.

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Speaker 2: Hello Katie, how are you very well?

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Speaker 1: Great to speak to you this morning. Firstly, who's eligible

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Speaker 1: to attend the Darwin Vaccination Center for the flu vaccine?

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Speaker 2: So this is a very targeted campaign and we're encouraging

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Speaker 2: parents to book in their children from age six months

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Speaker 2: to under five, so it's a very specific targeted group.

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Speaker 2: So we're making the center open for the under five

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Speaker 2: year old.

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Speaker 1: And how come they are being targeted as part of

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Speaker 1: this campaign.

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Speaker 2: So people may know that there's a variety of categories

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Speaker 2: that are available for or recommended to have influenza vaccine

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Speaker 2: every year, and children under the age of five are

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Speaker 2: particularly vulnerable. To severe symptoms associated with influenza. And when

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Speaker 2: we looked at our coverage rates last week, it showed

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Speaker 2: that we only had seventeen percent of children in this

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Speaker 2: age group who had been vaccinated against influenza. And so

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Speaker 2: we're doing this three week blitz to make it easier

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Speaker 2: for parents to book online to get this particular cohort vaccinated.

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Speaker 1: Savini. I know that there'll be a lot of people

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Speaker 1: listening this morning thinking to themselves, why are we in

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Speaker 1: a situation in the Northern Territory where the vaccine isn't

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Speaker 1: free for everybody like it is in other states. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: So, as I said, the federal government and a Targi

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Speaker 2: who we're all familiar with now with the COVID vaccine announcements,

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Speaker 2: they have specific groups that they recommend are at higher

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Speaker 2: risk of getting severe disease of influenza, and those people

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Speaker 2: can get the vaccine, the influenza vaccine for free through

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Speaker 2: their GP, their community pharmacy, and through anti health centers

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Speaker 2: in the territory. We've continue to target those people who

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Speaker 2: are at higher risk as opposed to opening up free

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Speaker 2: vaccinations for the general population, because we're really wanting to

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Speaker 2: make sure those vulnerable groups get access to the vaccine

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Speaker 2: early on in the season.

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Speaker 1: Do we have any idea how many cases we have

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Speaker 1: right now? I know that it was being reported by

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Speaker 1: other media that you know that those numbers are increasingly high.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. What's been interesting this year and I know doctor

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Speaker 2: Jackie Murdock's been talking about this over the last couple

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Speaker 2: of weeks. Is usually in the territory and round Australia,

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Speaker 2: we don't see influenza cases until sort of the southern

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Speaker 2: winter hits, which is sort of June, July August. And

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Speaker 2: what's happened this year with the International Boarders opening and

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Speaker 2: it being particularly cold early on the Eastern seaboard is

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Speaker 2: we've had flu cases rise earlier than in previous years.

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Speaker 2: And our Center for Disease Control in the Northern Territory

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Speaker 2: does monitor numbers and they release those numbers on a

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Speaker 2: weekly basis, and so we've had a much earlier start

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Speaker 2: to the influenza a season than in previous years.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and so what is you know from your perspective,

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Speaker 1: what do you think that's going to mean moving forward?

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Speaker 1: Do you think that we're going to see that sort

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Speaker 1: of spike that we're seeing right now and then things

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Speaker 1: will dip off or are we going to see those

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Speaker 1: numbers continue to remain high.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like a crystal bor gazing expercise, Kati. So

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Speaker 2: what this is why we've opened up the vaccination center

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Speaker 2: for that vulnerable group of six months to under five

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Speaker 2: because we don't really know how the influenza season is

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Speaker 2: going to unfold because we've been relatively sheltered from the

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Speaker 2: flu over the last couple of years with the borders

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Speaker 2: being closed and now that they're open and lots of

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Speaker 2: people visiting family or going overseas for holidays that they've

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Speaker 2: had to put off over the last couple of years,

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Speaker 2: has meant that the influenza virus has come comeing too

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Speaker 2: Australia a bit earlier than normal. And so what we're

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Speaker 2: recommending and what unrecommend is those people who are eligible

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Speaker 2: for a free influenza vaccine, please go to your regular

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Speaker 2: primary care provider. And then there's a lot of workplaces

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Speaker 2: are also offering flu free flu shots for their staff,

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Speaker 2: So check in with your manager to see whether your

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Speaker 2: workplace is offering a vaccination program this year. And then

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Speaker 2: those people who don't who aren't eligible for a free vaccine,

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Speaker 2: you can still go to your community pharmacy or your

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Speaker 2: GP to get a shot, and it is quite affordable

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Speaker 2: for people.

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Speaker 1: And Bevini, I'm not sure if you're the right person

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Speaker 1: to ask or not. Feel free to tell me if

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Speaker 1: you're not. Obviously, those numbers, the latest numbers do say

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Speaker 1: that there's around three thy two hundred with flu at

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Speaker 1: the moment as of June thirteen, and forty two patients

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Speaker 1: in hospital with the flu. Have we had anybody pass

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Speaker 1: away with the flu this season?

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Speaker 2: Not that I'm aware of, but I'm not I'm not

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Speaker 2: the right person who tracks that that statistics. But generally

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Speaker 2: with influenza, people can get severely sick and then be

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Speaker 2: treated in hospitals. But we don't always. We don't see

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Speaker 2: the same rates of people passing away from flu as

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Speaker 2: we did with COVID. So, as far as I'm aware,

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Speaker 2: I'm not aware of anyone passing away from influenza. But

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Speaker 2: CDC are the people who keep them.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, we can certainly ask them. BRAVENI, how can bookings

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Speaker 1: be made? You know, to those out there listening who

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Speaker 1: do fall in those categories that you've spoken to us about,

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Speaker 1: how can bookings be made?

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Speaker 2: Yep, So for the Marara Vaccination Center. People can hop

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Speaker 2: online and if they just search influenza vacca in or

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Speaker 2: fluvac's n TI gov. We've got a website and people

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Speaker 2: can click on a link and book their child in

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Speaker 2: for a vaccination. The Marara centers open from nine till

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Speaker 2: five Monday to Thursday, nine till four on Fridays, and

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Speaker 2: nine till three on Saturday, so there's plenty of options

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Speaker 2: for people. If you're in other categories, you can get

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Speaker 2: your free influenza shot from your GP or your primary

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Speaker 2: care provider, so through your remote health centers Danella, Dilba

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Speaker 2: or Congress or the Archow Services in Go Katherine and

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Speaker 2: Tenant Creek.

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Speaker 1: Well Baveni Patel, Executive Director of Medicine Management, we really

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Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning. Thanks so much for having

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Speaker 1: a chat with me.

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Speaker 2: Great Thank you, Katie, thank you