BENDIGO aged care residents will be among some of the first in Victoria to start receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations on Tuesday.
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At least one Bendigo facility has confirmed health workers are due to administer a COVID-19 vaccine to its residents on Tuesday.
Bentleys Aged Care Bendigo facility manager Wendy Rogasch said she was "absolutely over the moon" residents would receive the vaccine on Tuesday, after a stressful year.
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Ms Rogasch said she was glad to have a vaccination which offered residents protection against some of the terrible scenarios at aged care homes in Melbourne last year.
She said residents were excited and pleased to be receiving the vaccine this week.
The rollout of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination began on Monday in Victoria, with Monash Health medical director Rhonda Stuart the first Victorian to receive the vaccine.
Senior medical adviser for the COVID-19 vaccination program Professor Ben Cowie said it was an historic day for Victoria and Australia.
"These vaccines are safe, they're effective, and they're free," Professor Cowie said. "All eligible Victorians will be able to have the vaccine over the course of this year.
"When we say these vaccines are safe, we say they have been tested initially in clinical trials, which involve tens of thousands of individuals, and have subsequently been administered to tens of millions of people worldwide.
"They are very safe and have been through a rigorous approval process."
Victorians with the highest risk of exposure to COVID-19 are being prioritised for the vaccine, including hotel quarantine workers, airport and port workers, and frontline health staff. Bendigo will be home to a Pfizer vaccination hub. The region's aged care residents will be among thousands vaccinated in the next couple of weeks.
The vaccine roll-out came as the state recorded zero new COVID-19 cases for the third consecutive day.
Health Minister Martin Foley said there were 25 active coronavirus cases in the state, with one of those people receiving treatment in hospital. Mr Foley said the authorities were also following up two indeterminate COVID-19 test results from hotel quarantine workers as a precaution.
Australia's vaccination program began on Sunday, with an aged care resident. Prime Minister Scott Morrison was also vaccinated on Sunday.
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