First to get Covid-19 vaccine

The emergency department nurse unit manager, who helps educate staff on infection control measures, received his initial dose of the Pfizer vaccine at a Covid Clinic set up at Westmead on Monday morning and said he had no worries about being first.
“I’m ready. I’m all set to go,” he said.
Westmead is one of three initial hubs in NSW which will provide the vaccine to high priority groups in the first phase of the nationwide rollout, and the 48-year-old father of four said he was grateful to have an extra level of protection.
“The roll out of the vaccine is a really important milestone for my colleagues and I in the fight against the virus,” he said.
“I’m happy to be part of the first group because I can lead by example, share my experience and encourage others to get the vaccine.”
However as preparations for the vaccine rollout began, fragments of the virus were detected at a sewage network site at Auburn over the weekend, sparking an alert for Regents Park, Rookwood, Sydney Olympic Park, Newington, Granville, Clyde, Lidcombe, Auburn, South Granville, Guildford, Silverwater, Rosehill and Berala.
A NSW Health spokesperson said people who are recently recovered from Covid-19 can sometimes continue to shed virus fragments into the sewerage system for several weeks even after they are no longer infectious.
Also receiving the injection on Monday were nearly 500 other health care workers on the front line of the pandemic, including nurses, doctors, patient transport drivers, paramedics, pathology and Covid clinic staff, with the roll out set to ramp up at Westmead’s vaccination clinic to deliver about 585 injections a day for the next three weeks.
WSLHD Chief Executive Graeme Loy said many staff from across the health district have worked “exceptionally hard to make this clinic possible” and help protect Australians against a virus that has claimed so many lives around the world.