When the Mail arrived at Mandurah Central Pharmacy, the space was neatly organised to incorporate socially-distanced chairs filled with locals getting ready to roll up and receive their Moderna vaccinations.
Travis Whittaker, a local hospitality worker is among the group awaiting their turns.
"I really like travelling," Mr Whittaker says.
"This vaccine is a good thing to have so I can go again."
Mr Whittaker explained he was the last in his family to get his vaccination, and he was glad to see a spot so central open up for bookings.
"I work in hospo, so it's really handy it's available here - I booked my appointment online."
He further explained that he looked at vaccine information beforehand and was going into his appointment feeling comfortable.
"I feel pretty well knowledgeable going in. It'll be good for you and the rest of the world.
"Especially as borders reopen and before we find out what restrictions will be like."
Pharmacist Alan Hipper said the response he had seen to Moderna vaccinations opening had been overwhelmingly positive.
"When we had the AstraZeneca, there was a lot of hesitancy - obviously around the possibility of the blood clots - and unfortunately, it's possibly the press mostly to blame for this, the negativity around it, it's the wrong type of clotting that everyone thinks they're going to get - and it's quite rare.
"With the Moderna we've had almost no hesitancy.
"I had one person ask if it was going to change their DNA and I explained it's not possible to do that, we don't have the technology to do that."
As far as hesitancy is concerned, Mr Hipper said he encouraged people to express any concerns with him beforehand.
"I try and sit down and talk to every person to find out what they're anxious about and address any issues," he said.
"For most people, it's the needle itself - and more often than not people don't feel it, it's a thinner needle than the one used to take blood."
Mr Hipper said on Thursday alone he had done almost 30 vaccines, with 20 more booked in before the end of the day.
"With the AstraZeneca we did around 50-60 over a six-week period.
"We got the Moderna in early and the next day we administered 10, we have nearly 50 booked today and more next week.
"We're trying to avoid walk-ins at the moment because we don't want to run out of the vaccines.
"With the AstraZeneca each vile has 10 doses and you have two days to use it - with the Moderna, it's the same amount of doses but you only have 6 hours to use it - once we get these available regularly walk-ins will be no problem at all."
When asked what he would say to someone who wasn't interested in being vaccinated, he said it wasn't his role to push people, just to help.
"It's entirely up to you if you want to get the vaccine or not, I'm not here to push you - just bear in mind moving into the future it's the only way through COVID - there's no cure to COVID, the so-called cures out there have no facts behind them."
For more information, visit the Pharmacy's website or visit Roll Up for WA.
Samantha Ferguson
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
