Can I book my Covid-19 Booster?
MIMC is currently booking appointments for COVID-19 booster immunisations. We are delivering boosters 3 months following your third dose of vaccination for people 30 years and over.
We currently have appointments available on Tuesdays on a monthly basis. The immunisations are delivered by our nursing staff. Book your appointment on HotDoc or by calling the clinic. Appointments are limited, so to avoid disappointment, please plan ahead as much as possible.
If you have questions about receiving your booster immunisation, or need to discuss your particular immunisation needs, please book in with one of our doctors prior to your vaccine appointment. Please do not attend your appointment if you have COVID symptoms or are a close contact of a person with COVID symptoms.
If you can’t find a time that suits you, please call the clinic and add your name to our wait list. We sporadically run additional booster clinics depending on demand.
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Can I book my 5-11 year old child in for a Covid-19 immunisation?
Yes. Children’s vaccinations are currently delivered by our nursing staff on Mondays on a monthly basis. Book an appointment through HotDoc or by calling the clinic.
The vaccine is delivered in two doses 8 weeks apart. Please be sure to book your second dose appointment at the time of attending for your first dose.
The immunisation used for children is the Pfizer vaccine. If you have questions about how mRNA vaccines work, please watch our video below. If you would like to learn more about what to expect after the immunisation, please watch the video.
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How can I best support my child for their immunisation?
We rarely come across people who love getting a needle. Most people, including children, feel varying degrees of anxiety in anticipation of having to have an immunisation.
You know your child best, so you’ll be the best judge of when and how much to tell them about their immunisation. We find that the children who cope best with a vaccine, have had some forewarning about what to expect, and are accompanied by a parent or carer who projects a calm and confident manner.
You’ll be asked to check in at the main desk, read through the consent form and take a seat in the waiting room. Bringing something your child relies on for comfort, confidence or distraction can be helpful. The nurse will ask you in to the consulting room and run through some questions to ensure the vaccine is safe to be given to your child. The vaccine is given into the your child’s upper arm, usually on their non-dominant side. It’s helpful if your child is wearing something with very stretchy sleeves, so we can easily reach their bare upper arm. To help your child hold still for the immunisation, you’ll be asked to hold them in a hug from behind.
When we talk to children about what to expect, we use phrases like “you’re going to have some muscle juice to make you extra strong to battle COVID”. It can be helpful for them to understand what it might feel like - “a slightly pointy bruise”. It’s not as painful as standing on a piece of Lego, or tripping over and skinning your knees, or even bumping your head on something!
It’s very important that for the seconds (yes seconds!) it takes to administer the vaccine, your child is holding still. If this isn’t possible, either because you don’t feel confident holding them, or they are too distressed to hold still, it’s not safe for us to immunise them in the clinic.
There are specialised services available for children with extreme needle phobia. These are run through the Royal Children’s Hospital.
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How can I be tested for COVID-19?
There are two main ways to confirm whether your symptoms might be related to a COVID infection or not - PCR testing and Rapid Antigen Testing.
PCR testing is performed by pathology laboratories with specialised equipment on a throat and nose swab. Currently PCR testing is free to citizens (though costs the tax payer about $85 per test).
Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) delivers results within 15 minutes and can be performed in your own home. Most kits cost between $10-20 per test. A positive RAT is highly likely to confirm that you have COVID-19. On the other hand, a single negative RAT does not necessarily rule out COVID-19 infection. Doing a daily RAT (if you have access to them) can help rule out COVID-19 with a higher degree of confidence.
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If I can’t get a test in a meaningful time frame, what should I do?
If you have COVID symptoms and have had contact with a COVID case, you should consider it highly likely that you have COVID-19 and isolate accordingly. Continue to check over the coming days and weeks regarding the availability of RAT kits and back here for PCR turnaround times.
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How can I avoid catching it in Warrnambool?
You can avoid catching COVID-19 by avoiding touching your face, nose, eyes and lips and paying attention to your hand washing. Alcohol hand rubs, or 20 seconds of hand washing with soap and water will remove live virus from your hands. Do this often, especially after touching surfaces touched by others, before eating or preparing food, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Because the virus is also shed from the bowel, hand washing after toileting is also important.
Avoid non-essential travel, between towns, cities and states, particularly areas in Australia where COVID-19 case numbers are highest.
Decrease the number of people you come into close contact with where-ever possible. Close contact means more than 15 minutes of face to face contact.
In public enclosed spaces, remain 1.5m from other people where-ever possible.
Avoid shaking hands.
Avoid contact with friends, family or colleagues who have symptoms and if you have fever, cough, runny nose, nausea or diarrhoea stay home and call your general practitioner if you need medical assistance.
Consider decreasing how often you eat food prepared by others.
Quitting smoking will decrease the chances of developing severe infection.
I have had a close contact with someone with Covid-19, what should I do?
The current guidelines for isolating if you are a close contact of a person with COVID-19 can be found here.
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I have tested positive for Covid-19, or I think I have it, what should I do?
First, and most importantly, don’t panic. The majority (~80%) of people who become unwell with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover within 7-14 days.
1. Report your result
If you have managed to confirm your infection either with a PCR test or RAT, you are required to report this result to the Victorian Department of Health. You can complete this online form, or call 1800 675 398.
2. Let other people know
Contact your workplace, colleagues, family, friends and any other locations you have visited in the 2 days prior to the development of symptoms, or your positive test result to inform them that you have tested positive for COVID-19. This will allow others to get tested and watch for symptoms.
3. Isolate at home if it’s possible and safe to do so
For most people, managing and recovering at home will be the safest and most comfortable option. You can find information and tips on how best to isolate at home here.
4. Book a Telehealth appointment with us
If you have underlying medical conditions, or you’re worried about your symptoms, or you’re just not sure what to do next, book in a Telehealth appointment with us. Here are our tips on “How to Telehealth”. If we determine that a Face to Face appointment is necessary we’ll invite you to attend the clinic.
5. Read this!
This guide will help you decide how severe your symptoms are.
This guide is the home management guide we recommend you follow, particularly if you are at medium to high risk of more severe illness. Please print the Symptom Tracker to help guide us in deciding how best to support you.
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What is Telehealth?
Click here for information on Telehealth. Our guide will walk you through how to prepare for and take part in a telehealth appointment.