Within two weeks nearly 35 members of the Greek community, living in Richmond contracted COVID-19. Unfortunately one person did not recover, seven were in intensive care and two had to stay in hospital for six weeks!
After the rapid spread of the virus, a month ago, among the elderly citizens of Richmond – mostly Greeks- it became clear that many still remained unvaccinated because they feared the vaccine more than the disease itself.
Dr Bill Arsenakis, a well known and respected GP in the community is urging the citizens, and especially the elderly, to get informed about the safety and effectiveness of the available vaccines, if they still have reservations about them and are hesitant.
The spike in cases last month, also prompted the Health Department to organise a mobile pop-up information unit and clinic, to take place in Greek, on Friday and Saturday, on the grounds of St Bartholomew’s Anglican Church, on Burnley St, as it has become apparent that the Greek community is amongst the cultural groups most hesitant to receive the vaccine.
“Hesitancy is not a problem,” Dr Arsenakis told Neos Kosmos. “It’s only natural to have questions. People need to talk about it. They need to be informed. From conversations I have with my patients who are hesitant to get vaccinated, they mention shows and programs they watch on Greek television, where, perhaps for ratings reasons, a number of people come out to speak against the vaccine. And this naturally scares and discourages them.”
“But you only have to look at what is happening in Greece at the moment to understand how serious the problem is. Over a hundred people lose their lives every day to COVID-19 and it is a country with a much smaller population than Australia,” Dr Arsenakis points out, focusing on the data that shows the higher risk of death from the virus among the unvaccinated.
When the virus spread in the community last month, it was probably the first time that word got round in the neighbourhood that someone they knew, got seriously sick, or even died of COVID, and it spurred many hesitant citizens to get vaccinated, Dr Arsenakis added
A strong message in favour of COVID-19 vaccinations was also sent out by His Grace Bishop Evmenios.
“The Orthodox Church is in favour of vaccination. This position has been expressed many times by the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Archbishop of Australia,” Theophilos Evmenios told Neos Kosmos.
“As our Archbishop has said, the only solution out of the pandemic is to get vaccinated,” he stressed.
“Vaccinating all of us is not only an act of individual responsibility, but also an act of Christian solidarity and love for our neighbour,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, according to sources of Neos Kosmos, 20 more members of the Greek community have caught the virus in the last week in Yarraville.
Mobile information unit and clinic to visit Richmond:
A medical team will visit Richmond on Friday and Saturday between 9am and 1pm, on the grounds of St Bartholomew’s Church, at 300 Burnley St. It will give the opportunity to the community to raise their concerns in Greek, with Dr Bill Arsenakis who will be there along with a team of health professionals of Hellenic background.
During the course of the event, anyone who wishes to, can also get vaccinated.
For more information about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine visit the official site of the Victorian health department at
www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus where information is available also in Greek.