An intensive care unit nurse and cleaner at the Dubbo Hospital were among the first front line health care workers to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
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Intensive care unit cleaner Vallarie Sneesby admitted while she was a "little apprehensive" ahead of the jab but it was an important milestone and "common sense" to stop the spread of COVID-19 in communities.
"I think it's a good thing and we all need to do it, for our colleagues who we work with and our family and friends," she said.
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She said she had witnessed people experience symptoms of the virus, but now knowing she would be protected definitely made her feel safer.
"It really does scare you, and I don't want to have that myself or for my friends and family," she said.
For intensive care unit nurse manager Sherin Alexander, being vaccinated was important to protect her patients who were already vulnerable.
"It gives you that extra reassurance you'll be protected while looking after patients on a daily basis, especially working in the ICU," she said.
"Ever since COVID we would consider every patient is at risk of COVID, whether they had symptoms or not.
"So I think being vaccinated will now give me that extra support, I know it will protect myself and also my other patients and I know I won't be taking anything home."
Front line health workers in Dubbo were among the first to be administered the AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday.
Over the next six weeks 7000 staff from the Western NSW Local Health District will receive the vaccination in fixed clinics at Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst.
Two mobile services will rotate through the 35 health facilities in the Western NSW LHD, and have began in Cobar, Gilgandra and Gulargambone.
The mobile services will continue to the northern and more remote parts of the region in the next week.
General practices will help deliver the vaccine to the public as part of phase 1b, initially to priority groups, starting with people over 70, adults with underlying medical conditions and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Three more phases will follow until the whole country has been offered the vaccine.
For more information about the COVID-19 vaccination visit health.nsw.gov.au
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