THE region's mass COVID-19 vaccination hubs will close next week, marking the end of a pivotal phase of the community pandemic response.
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After 79,978 jabs in just over 12 months, South West Healthcare's vaccination centres in Warrnambool and Camperdown will close their doors on May 1.
It comes after almost all coronavirus rules were lifted last week while vaccination mandates in workplaces remain.
The service joins a number across the state who have reported a low uptake in vaccines over March and April.
In Warrnambool, 76.3 per cent of the eligible population has received three vaccine doses.
The hubs at the old Sam's Warehouse site and the Camperdown Theatre Royal have been "relatively quiet" during March and April, and it was clear facilities of their size were no longer needed, chief executive Craig Fraser said.
The push for third and fourth doses, and on-going paediatric vaccinations, remained.
"Vaccination coverage in the region has reached the point where it can now be handled by local GPs and pharmacies moving forward, which means that we can now look to redeploy our staff back into our healthcare service and re-focus our efforts on other matters," Mr Fraser said.
"Flu vaccinations are administered by GPs and pharmacies, and it makes sense that as we move towards COVID normal, that COVID vaccines are also administered in the same way."
The South West Medical Clinic will continue to offer COVID-19 vaccines as a GP clinic, as well as the flu vaccine from April 26th.
The COVID-19 testing site behind the vaccination centre will also close on May 1, making way for a new partnership between SWH and Australian Clinical Labs.
SWH have co-located a staff member at the ACL testing site on Fairy Street, with ACL offering PCR testing and SWH offering access to free RATS to eligible community members.
Surge plans remain in place in case of another outbreak, Mr Fraser said.
Pop up clinics have been set up at Warrnambool Community House on Fridays between 10 am and 12 pm and South Warrnambool Football Club all day May 1.
Looking back on Warrnambool's vaccination response
The first COVID-19 vaccine administered in south-west Victoria was in Portland on March 1 2021.
Warrnambool's first frontline worker was vaccinated against COVID-19 on March 11 2021, when emergency department associate nurse unit manager Carole Holman received the Pfizer vaccine.
Warrnambool's vaccination centre was first opened in February and began inoculating priority residents on April 12, in line with National Cabinet's decision to use mass vaccination sites to speed up the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out.
However SWH then waited another three months before it could open the doors to the wider community due to a hold up in supply.
On May 3 2021 Warrnambool's vaccine program expanded to over 50s and saw 1000 people inoculated in the first week.
The rollout expanded to young people on August 11 when Warrnambool become the 10th hub in the state to offer the AstraZeneca vaccine to young people aged 18 to 39 years.
Supply shortages plagued the rollout in south-west Victoria, with Warrnambool residents frustrated by limited supply, seeing appointments in Warrnambool "snapped up in minutes", demand severely outstripping supply and calls for calm.
South-west residents under 40 were met with delays as they became eligible for Pfizer coronavirus jabs at Warrnambool's vaccination hub on August 25.
Warrnambool became the first in the state to reach 95 per cent single dose, and 70 per cent double dosed on October 11 2021.
Warrnambool also started the local vaccinated economy trial on October 11, opening four businesses to fully vaccinated people.
On November 9 2021 Warrnambool notched 95 per cent double dose COVID-19 vaccinated.
Hundreds of south-west students booked in for a COVID-19 vaccine on September 2 as part of a state-wide blitz ahead of Year 12 exams.
Ages 5-11 COVID vaccinations began Warrnambool on January 11, 2022.
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