The Central Coast Local Health District has declined an offer from a community group to provide a venue for a mass vaccination hub on the Coast.
Based on copies of correspondence seen by CCN it appears there are no plans to commence a mass vaccination model on the Central Coast.
The only barrier to achieving high levels of vaccination in the community is a lack of vaccine supply or, as phrased in the cited correspondence, “capacity remains available only limited by vaccine stocks”.
As the number of COVID-19 cases on the Central Coast continues to increase, CCN understands that the Acting CEO of the Central Coast Local Health District, Brad Astill, knocked back an offer from a not-for-profit to host a mass vaccination clinic that could service the whole Local Government Area.
In response to the offer, Astill said there were currently no plans to commence a mass vaccination model on the Central Coast.
It is understood the LHD has “considerable capacity” at its Gosford Hospital and Wyong Hospital vaccination clinics and that Astill said their ability to serve the community was only limited by the access to enough vaccine supplies to match clinic capacity.
The LHD made representations to the State Health Emergency Operations Centre (SHEOC) that manages the NSW vaccination program but it was decided there was sufficient capacity to vaccinate the Central Coast community as a result of a mass vaccination centre coming online at Belmont in the southern region of the Hunter-New England Local Health District.
Central Coast Labor MPs have said they ‘condemn’ the State Government’s decision to reject calls to establish a mass vaccination hub on the Coast.
Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, said she would ‘fight’’ for the Central Coast to be ‘fully resourced’ as a region.
“Once again this Sydney-centric government has failed to listen to the concerns and needs of the people of the Central Coast,” Tesch said.
“The Central Coast has a bigger population than the Northern Territory but somehow we are overlooked for a Mass Vaccination Hub, when other regional centres get them,” Shadow Minister for the Central Coast, David Harris, said.
“This makes no sense when the Premier’s message continues to be get vaccinated as soon as possible.
“Our GPs also need to have time to treat their patients for everyday illness and not be overburdened with vaccinations”.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said that a mass vaccination hub could operate at Gosford Hopsital, but it would be dependent on vaccine supply.
“We have enough staff and we have enough space within Gosford Hospital for to operate as a mass vaccination hub, but we don’t have enough doses of the vaccine from the Federal Government,” Crouch said.
Jackie Pearson and Maisy Rae