Anyone over 50 can make an appointment to get a COVID-19 AstraZeneca jab from today.

You can book an appointment with your local participating GP or attend a GP Respiratory Clinic vaccination center. Check the COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Checker for a list of all services available in your area. More than 40,000 Mid North Coast and Northern NSW people have received a vaccination to date. This equates to nearly 10 percent of the target population for phases 1 and 2 of the roll out.

Table 1 – Vaccinations to date on the North Coast*

Region Total vaccinations % of phase 1 and 2 target population who have had a vaccination

Mid North Coast 16,460 9.5%

Northern NSW 24,305 10.2%

Total 40,765 9.9%

About 38,000 people have received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Meanwhile, the Pfizer vaccine has been given to more than 3,200 older people living in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) and frontline health workers. Eight RACFs on the Mid North Coast and 7 in Northern NSW have fully vaccinated their residents with both Pfizer doses. Many RACFs are part-way through the rollout, with 16 facilities on the Mid North Coast and 5 in Northern NSW having been visited by the Commonwealth-funded squads administering first doses. This week sees 7 more facilities on the Mid North Coast and 7 in Northern NSW receiving first doses for residents.

Healthy North Coast Chief Executive Julie Sturgess said, “It’s great the vaccine rollout is expanding and that so many North Coast residents have already had their first jab. “This is our best defence against COVID-19,” she said. People across the North Coast region are being asked to participate in an online community consultation that allows them to share their thoughts on the COVID-19 vaccines. The survey can be found at covid19vaccinesurvey.questionpro.com

Those seeking more information about COVID-19 vaccines should speak to their GP or call the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080