It should not be lost on anyone that the opening of a mass vaccination facility in Bendigo is a significant development in the city's recent history.
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It is the sort of milestone in the pandemic story that will be remembered for decades to come - people will tell stories about their visits to the vaccine clinic.
As senior government minister Jacinta Allan said yesterday: "This is a big ramp-up in the vaccine rollout for the central Victorian community.
"It's going to be another step to protecting our community."
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So much has been said and written about the slow roll out of the vaccine nationally, and the issues surrounding blood clots, that there is a danger of some of its importance being lost.
The success of the vaccination program, the willingness of people to participate and the ability of officials to deliver the necessary supplies are all critical factors.
It is imperative that people in central Victoria, so to speak, take their medicine.
There will be 40 cubicles and capacity to vaccinate a thousand people each day.
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Managing the flow of visitors will be important, with delays seen at a similar facility in Ballarat earlier this week.
It is hoped that the central location with parking nearby will make access easy for large numbers of residents.
"This will be fantastic here - a much bigger area, adequate privacy and adequate times for anyone to come in and chat with us," nurse Michelle McGibbon said yesterday.
The risks of not getting vaccinated remain clear. It was reported nationally last night that five Victorians were isolating because of the COVID outbreak recorded in NSW.
As AAP reported, more than 55,000 SMS messages had been sent to Victorians returning from NSW since April 30, telling them to check whether they had visited exposure sites.
And closer to home, the hospitality industry remains on edge about the threat of enforced closure in the event of another outbreak in this state.
The responsible thing for Bendigo to do is roll up a sleeve and take the vaccine when it is available.
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