If you're still holding out for the Pfizer vaccine, you could still be in for a long wait.
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Every day, during her morning press conference, Premier Gladys Berejiklian urges the people of NSW to get vaccinated as quickly as possible, however in our region, it's just not that easy.
Pfizer is currently only available to people aged 40 to 59 years old. People aged 16-39 are currently only eligible for Pfizer if they are in the following priorty groups:
- a quarantine and border worker
- aged and disability care worker
- disability care resident
- healthcare worker
- household contact of quarantine and border workers
- critical and high risk worker
- traveller with a travel exemption
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people
- pregnant
- have an underyling medical condition
Manning Base Hospital is the foremost supplier of Pfizer vaccines in the MidCoast local government area. However the hospital lost its supply when Premier Gladys Berejiklian pulled Pfizer vaccines from rural and regional areas to be given to Year 12 students in Sydney. The hospital had to cancel 1500 appointments as a result.
Replacement supplies were received only on Monday, August 16 and staff are now in the process of calling back the 1500 people who lost their appointments to reschedule them.
The hospital says it may be three weeks before they are able to take appointments for Pfizer as they cannot offer it at this time. Bookings are still available for AstraZeneca.
All bookings for COVID-19 vaccinations at Manning Base Hospital can only be made over the phone. The hospital is not accepting walk ins, except for aged care workers as vaccination is mandatory for them, or emergency services personnel.
Manning Base Hospital was accepting walk ins for a short period some months ago, however there was a very good reason for this and it was only ever meant to be temporary. A freezer storing vaccines stopped working for a very short moment, and the vaccines needed to be used up ASAP. Hospital staff says it was always the intention that bookings must be made.
Taree Respiratory Clinic offers both Pfizer and AstraZenea to eligible people. Their waiting list for Pfizer currently runs until October 5. Bookings can be made by calling the Clinic or Taree Health Hub. The Health Hub is only offering AstraZeneca.
Wynter Street Medical Centre is also offering Pfizer and AstraZeneca, however they have had problems getting supplies of Pfizer and currently have a waiting list of 700 people.
Taree Medical Centre is only offering AstraZenca and bookings can only be made over the phone.
In Wingham, Access Health is offering both vaccines, however they don't have Pfizer in stock and their waiting list runs until September. Wingham Family Health Clinic is only giving out AstraZeneca, and are waiting for Pfizer to become available to them.
Apart from Old Bar Pharmacy, which started offering AstraZeneca in July in the pilot rollout, Terry White Chemmart is the only chemist in the Manning currently able to give vaccines. Coopers Pharmacies in Taree and Chatham have received supplies, but need to meet requirements first and anticipate opening bookings to the public next week, via online booking systems available through their Facebook page.
Coopers Pharmacy Wingham and other pharmacies in Taree are waiting for supplies to arrive and/or are waiting for confirmation they are able to vaccinate.
Michael Levine of Chapman and Wood Amcal Pharmacy in Wingham is frustrated with the distribution of the rollout of AstraZeneca to pharmacies. He has a nurse ready to go, and is just waiting on supplies.
"I phoned AstraZeneca and they said they've got heaps of stock, but they've got nothing to do with distribution, which is a government thing," Mr Levine said.
Amcal+ Pharmacy Foster will be starting AstraZeneca vaccines next week.
Forster Tuncurry Medical Centre is giving both Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs. The centre is currently vaccinating aged care facilties in the area, and says they should be starting Pfizer vaccinations to the public next week. Currently their waiting list is until September and they ask anyone wishing to book to go through the NSW Health eligibility checker.
To find out if you are eligble to get a vaccination and what vaccination you can receive, visit www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covid-19-vaccine-eligibility-checker.
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