People wanting either of the COVID-19 vaccines have an array of options at Dubbo, the head of a front-line healthcare provider says.
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Multiple general practices in the city are now approved to provide both Pfizer and AstraZeneca, and are here to support people, Tanya Forster says.
She is advising community members that even if they are not a patient of a particular practice that has availability, they can make a booking and get the shot they need, rather than waiting.
"I know anxiety in the community is really high and people really want to be able to access their jab and so I think it's great for people to remember that they can utilise their pharmacy, they can utilise multiple general practices across Dubbo, as well as then some of the NSW Health-led centres," she said.
Mrs Forster, chief executive officer (CEO) of Macquarie Health Collective and Macquarie Valley Family Practice and psychologist, says her centres' clinics do not have long wait times, and can usually get people "in within the week".
Her team has been providing Pfizer shots for about three weeks, in addition to its work with AstraZeneca, which started in March.
Administering the vaccination is also not a time-consuming exercise for the consumer.
You're in and out literally in under 20 minutes, and it's a pretty smooth process...
- Tanya Forster
"You're in and out literally in under 20 minutes, and it's a pretty smooth process, there's not significant waiting times, so it doesn't have to significantly interfere with people's days," she said.
Her team has been doing a couple of major vaccine clinics a week since March, and they have generally averaged about 100 people, Mrs Forster reports.
"So we have both GPs and nurses involved in the administration and lots of people have been coming in who aren't patients of our practice to access our GPs to obtain vaccinations," she said.
"That goes for people not only in the Dubbo community, but the wider regions as well, which is fantastic."
Figures released on September 6 by the federal Department of Health show 77.6 per cent of the Dubbo Local Government Area have received a first dose.
The surge in vaccination has occurred as the region's COVID outbreak has consistently risen, and by 8pm on Thursday totalled 934 confirmed cases.
A mass vaccination hub, led by NSW Health and police, returned to Dubbo on Saturday to start second doses after carrying out a blitz three weeks ago, when long lines of people queued up.
Mrs Forster says general practice is there to help.
"I have noticed there are multiple locations in the community where you can access vaccinations, and I think there's been obviously a lot of promotion by the government around some of the NSW Health-led vaccination centres, and that's fantastic because the most important thing is that we get people vaccinated, we get jabs in arms," she said.
"But I think that on an ongoing basis, it's going to be really important that general practice is available to continue to support the community."
Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders last week repeatedly advised people vaccinations were available at a lot of places in addition to the NSW Health clinics.
"Your GP clinics, a lot of them taking clients that aren't normally part of their practice," he said on Friday.
"Pharmacies, the Aboriginal medical services and respiratory clinics as well, so get involved."
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
