Teams from the Australian Defence Force will be deployed to help administer vaccinations in Western NSW.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It comes as COVID-19 case numbers in Dubbo continue to rise, with stark warnings from the region's health chief that the situation will continue to grow.
"It is incredibly scary and concerning for all of us," Western NSW LHD chief executive Scott McLachlan said. "The things that we can do, is stay away from other people, stay at home...We desperately need to stop the virus spreading in the next three, four and five days."
Up until 8pm Sunday night, there were 32 additional cases in Dubbo and 35 in the region, and concerningly 40 per cent of those were children aged between 10 and 19 years-old.
ALSO READ:
Three cases were identified in Mudgee - one of those does not reside in Mudgee but has an address there - and one new case identified in Bourke. It brings the total number of active cases in Western NSW to 98, with 91 of those in Dubbo.
The origin of the outbreak is still "unclear", but there has been some clarity one point - it's unlikely that Dubbo will be out of lockdown by Saturday.
"I would suggest it would be incredibly optimistic to think we would come out by then, but really it's a week-by-week, hour-by-hour, day-by-day scenario," Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said.
Dubbo and western region residents continue to respond to the call for testing, with Sunday seeing more than 4,500 tests done and more than 9,500 across the region.
With growing concerns for the Aboriginal communities in Walgett, Bourke, Brewarrina among others, the Australian government has directed 7,500 Pfizer doses to those areas.
Mr McLachlan admitted resources are stretched, but there are plans in place for a drive-through vaccination clinic in Dubbo an an additional clinic in West Dubbo. They are still a number of days or weeks away.
The first of five teams from the ADF is expected to be deployed on Wednesday.
Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
