One million extra doses of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine have arrived in Australia from Poland after the commonwealth secured a deal with the pharmaceutical giant and the Polish government.
530,000 of those jabs have been allocated to areas of Western Sydney where the current COVID-19 Delta outbreak is wreaking havoc and are specifically targeted at younger people who have thus far been hesitant to get the AstraZeneca jabs that have been made available.
Younger people are making up the majority of new cases at the minute and it’s crucial that we increase the vaccination rate amongst those in the highest risk categories.
Cases are mainly being transmitted between households and it’s thought that people going to work to do essential jobs that can’t be done from home and then returning are the main source of the spread.
If you’re in one of those local government areas of concern in Sydney, here’s how you can get your hands on one of the more than half a million Pfizer shots.
Priority LGA’s for Pfizer Shots
The doses are targeted at “authorised workers” aged 16 and above in the 12 city local government areas of concern in Sydney.
The rest will be allocated to the other states and territories on a per capita basis.
Those NSW council areas are: Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta and Strathfield.
Penrith is also included in the suburbs of Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair and St Marys.
Authorised workers include health care, aged care and disability care workers, construction workers, freight and transport workers, meat workers, food workers, and those working in education.
If you’re above the age of 16, employed in one of those trades, and live in one of those areas, you can book a vaccination through the NSW government website.
The doses are being administered at 10 clinics across the area. These are:
Bankstown Vaccination clinic
Bayside Vaccination Clinic
Liverpool Vaccination clinic
NSW Health Vaccination Centre, Sydney Olympic Park
Prairiewood Vaccination clinic
Penrith Vaccination Clinic
Qudos Bank Arena NSW Health Vaccination Centre
Sonic Healthcare Vaccination Clinic, Hurstville
Sonic Healthcare Vaccination Clinic, Sydney CBD
South Western Sydney Vaccination Centre
Vaccinations appear to only be available to book until August 22 so you’ll have to move quickly. If you qualify and book a vaccine through one of these sites, you’ll have to get your second dose there as well.
Scott Morrison has said the additional vaccines will “Greatly assist, particularly the effort in NSW.”
Health Minister Greg Hunt has said the extra doses would bring the country’s national vaccine rollout forward.
About 26.9 per cent of Australia’s population is fully vaccinated and 28 per cent of the eligible population in NSW.
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