Residents in the MidCoast Local Government Area (LGA) are being urged to get their second dose of COVID vaccination as people across New South Wales start to travel to the regions again.
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While other regions across the State have been able to travel to the Mid Coast from last Monday, October 11, Greater Sydney remained banned from regional travel.
However the regional travel ban for Greater Sydney will be lifted on November 1, according to deputy premier Paul Toole, which means the MidCoast LGA will see even more visitors over the coming months.
"We know we have got two weeks of grace left to get our community protected before we get the State opening up and many people travelling up into this beautiful region," said Hunter New England Population Health public health physician, Dr David Durrheim.
"We have seen very encouraging first dose coverage. But now we need to roll up our sleeves, get that second dose of protection that we all need as the State opens up," he said.
The testing numbers in the MidCoast LGA have increased over the past week after three schools in the Manning were closed due to COVID cases.
As of Monday, October 18, Hunter New England Health (HNEH) recorded 94.9 per cent of people in the MidCoast LGA had their first vaccine and 73.9 per cent were fully vaccinated.
"We all need two doses of vaccine. That's the only way that we are going to get on top of COVID-19 when restrictions are progressively lifted," Dr Durrheim said.
"The vaccine, although very effective in two doses, is much less effective in a single dose.
"A single dose of the vaccines that we have available in Australia provides only about 30 per cent of protection against the Delta strain," he said.
The MidCoast LGA has recorded 97 COVID cases as of Tuesday, October 19 since the outbreak began in the Hunter New England Health District (HNEH) on August 5.
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