A walk-up clinic delivering Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines to people 12 years and over will open at the DPIE building in Prince Street on Monday morning.
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Staffed by Australian Defence Force and Western NSW LHD personnel it will be a vital cog in the push to get the community vaccinated against COVID.
I want Orange to be the first to get to 70 per cent [fully vaccinated]
- Reg Kidd, Orange mayor
It comes as Orange recorded three new cases of COVID on Thursday while a further new case with an Orange address is currently out of the area.
The vaccination hub will open daily from 9am-4.30pm until the following Sunday and return three weeks later to give people a second jab. Bookings are not required and people need to bring their Medicare card.
Both AstraZeneca and Pfizer will be available to 12-59 year olds but only AstraZeneca will be offered to those 60 and over.
Orange mayor Reg Kidd has urged residents to use this, or one of the other 15 sites in the area, to get vaccinated.
"Orange is leading the race regionally," he said.
He said the number of people with one dose was about 70 per cent while about 40 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated.
"I want Orange to be the first to get to 70 per cent [fully vaccinated] and the first to get to 80 per cent," he said.
He said the ADF-WNSWLHD clinic was a boost.
"We've lobbied hard to get it. I would say there is no reasonable excuse for not being able to get it now," he said.
Cr Kidd said the council was also looking at having follow-up 'Super Saturday' and 'Super Sunday' walk-up clinics, probably at the Orange Function Centre.
He said he understood there were no COVID-related cases in the Orange Hospital ICU at present with most cases isolating at home.
Orange is the latest city in western NSW, including Dubbo, to see an ADF clinic.
WNSWLHD chief executive Scott McLachlan said up to 300 people could be vaccinated each day at the clinics.
"More than 15,000 people have been vaccinated since the ADF joined the vaccination effort last month, and we want to see thousands of people in Bathurst [at its hub] and Orange join that number," he said.
"These walk-in clinics don't need any appointment, they're free and while you may need to line up, safely of course, they are a really convenient way to start your COVID-19 vaccination."
He said people could also get vaccinated at general practitioners' offices, pharmacies.
Mr McLachlan said people could also book the vaccination hub at the Nymagee building at Bloomfield.
"This is a massive opportunity for people in Bathurst and Orange, and the surrounding villages, to get vaccinated right now," Mr McLachlan said.
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