Victorian-era Prime Minister Dan Andrews on Thursday accused thousands of doing the “wrong thing” to explain the shocking daily case count which has risen to 1,438.

But the biggest mistake made by 15,000 hapless Victorians was not getting the shot when they had the chance.

The tragic consequences of a Covid-19 hit delay are now on record in Victoria’s horror virus toll.

As Acting Chief Medical Officer Ben Cowie pointed out this week, the majority – 79% – were eligible for the shot but simply never made the time to make an appointment.

According to the data, 88% were not vaccinated – including of course a group of young Victorians who are not eligible for the vaccine.

Covid Commander Jeroen Weimar said on Thursday that increasing vaccination was the only way out.

“If it wasn’t clear before, this is the critical path through,” he said.

“The blitz and the vaccination program are becoming more and more important. As the Prime Minister said, we received or will receive on Sunday 88,000 additional doses of Moderna.

Vaccines work

What is clear from the analysis is that vaccines work – if you take the time to make an appointment.

Consider the breakdown of Covid-19 patients admitted to Victoria Hospital. According to the Ministry of Health, 86% of people hospitalized are not vaccinated.

But the real impact of vaccines is visible in intensive care units across the state where 98% of people admitted to intensive care were not vaccinated.

“This is the kind of data that shows how powerful all of these vaccines are at preventing infection and especially preventing serious illness, ending up in hospital and losing your life,” Professor Cowie said.

“Vaccines remain our best weapon in the fight against this deadly virus. “

‘No more excuses’

Experts say there are “no more excuses” for the elderly dragging their feet to get their favorite vaccine starting Friday with a choice of vaccine – AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna now available for all. 60 years across Australia.

Previously, Pfizer and Moderna were only available for people aged 12 to 59, while AstraZeneca was the only vaccine available for the over 60 cohort.

Overnight, NSW and ACT confirmed it would offer a vaccine choice. Those over 60 are also eligible for Pfizer in Queensland, Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania.

“There are vaccination appointments available, please go online and book one, introduce yourself, play your part,” said the Victorian Prime Minister.

“These vaccination numbers are very high, with an additional supply we can become stronger. “

Vax clinics could go “door to door”

Suburbs that are lagging behind Melbourne’s wealthier neighborhoods in immunization may soon be offered mobile clinics.

The Victorian Prime Minister said on Thursday the Department of Health was ready to go ‘door to door’ if necessary.

“We wouldn’t rule anything out. We will go door to door if necessary, ”he said.

“We are very happy to see that this is not bragging or anything, we are just very happy to see that the north and west have responded so positively to the pop-up activity that we have. done, to the big push, and much of it is not necessarily released.

“A lot of it is very local, we’ve used trusted voices, religious leaders, school leaders, all kinds of different people and we’ve seen the numbers go up. They still have to go further.

“But they are coming out of a good base. We can be confident where the outbreak is most intense and hottest, seeing the turnaround there over the last few weeks is really, really good. And I thank everyone who came and got a jab. “