Orange's second dose vaccination rate is expected to rise by as much as 15 percentage points after the Australian Defence Force is done with the latest pop-up clinic to hit the city.
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Alongside the ADF, the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service, The Wellness House and other GP partners will help deliver second doses of Pfizer and will be standing up a clinic in Orange from Monday, September 27 to Sunday, October 3. This clinic is only for second doses of Pfizer and will be by invitation only.
People who received their first Pfizer vaccination at the previous Orange walk-in clinic will have either received their second dose appointment details on the day, or will be contacted by either text or telephone to confirm their second dose, the location of the clinic and a date and time to attend the clinic.
Chief Executive of Western NSW Local Health District, Scott McLachlan, said around 4000 people attended the first clinic in Orange.
"That's the real challenge, for people to come back and get their second dose," he said.
"People should or will be notified of that through a text message to return. If you haven't received that text message, then please get onto us through Facebook and message us.
"I'd expect to see a bump of somewhere between 12 and 15 per cent in those vaccinations areas for second dose.
"What we know is there is still a long way to go, from around 40-50 per cent on average around the region, of people with the second dose to get to the 80 per cent, but I really set the target at 90-95 per cent for our community across Western NSW to have second doses in their arms as quickly as possible."
The LHD has advised people are not allowed to return if they:
- Are waiting on a COVID-19 test result (unless this was only a surveillance test)
- Are a confirmed close contact of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case.
- Are unwell. Anyone with COVID symptoms should get tested & isolate until they receive a negative test result.
- Have had ANY other vaccination (including flu) in the previous seven days.
"We know that with the opportunities that relieving of restrictions will bring in two, three or four weeks time that there will be COVID circulating across all of our communities in Western NSW," Mr McLachlan added.
"It won't be a time we can be complacent and a time where there is much higher risk than there is now of picking up COVID in our communities.
"There's very short waits at the second dose clinics because we're able to organise people to come back on a specific day."
People who received AstraZeneca at the previous Orange walk-in clinic will also be contacted, with advice on how to receive their second dose of the vaccine, in line with the 4 - 12 week interval. Closer to their second dose date, people will be contacted either by text or telephone to confirm their second dose and where and when they will receive their second dose.
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