As pressure builds over the local shortage of Pfizer vaccine, Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, has voiced his concerns about its impact on local residents.
Crouch said he had received at least 1,000 messages and emails from his constituents regarding the shortage of Pfizer vaccines on the Coast.
“On Monday the Deputy Premier said there are many people in regional NSW, including on the Central Coast, that are being ‘held hostage’ by the lack of Pfizer vaccines and I completely agree with him,” Crouch said.
“It’s not fair to tell students under the age of 18, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and people with medical contraindications, to only get vaccinated with Pfizer, when there are almost no Pfizer vaccines available on the Central Coast.
“The Premier has been promised by the Federal Government that more Pfizer vaccines will be coming in mid-September.
“Unfortunately, she has not been advised how many are coming or exactly when they are coming.”
On the Peninsula, 60-69 per cent of the adult population have received their first dose of the vaccine and 30-39 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, said the community had stepped in to “cure the Morrison-Berejiklian Government’s oversight.
“While our rates of vaccination are incredible, we would have a lot more of our population vaccinated here if Berejiklian had not transferred our Pfizer away,” Tesch said.
“Vaccination clinics on the Central Coast are still having to play catch up on those who missed their booked in Pfizer because of Berejiklian’s decision to prioritise the roll out.
“Our office is still receiving numerous inquiries from people who are working on the front line who are unable to access Pfizer despite their health complications, and I will continue to represent them to the Minister for Health for solutions.”
Tesch reminded those in the community under the age of 60 who wanted to get the AstraZeneca vaccine to consult their doctor first.
This comes after a recent announcement that an additional 40 GP clinics will join the Pfizer rollout on the Coast this month.
Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, said the GPs will be administering both Pfizer and Astrazeneca vaccines.
“This will provide more points of presence for Central Coast residents to get a COVID-19 vaccine, and I encourage everyone looking to receive their vaccine to call your local GP or community pharmacy and book,” Wicks said.
“Over the next few months, we expect additional COVID-19 vaccines to be available for Central Coast residents, including Moderna, which is expected to arrive this month.”
Wicks said from September 13, all children aged 12-15 will be eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.
Many people, including Tesch, have been calling for a mass vaccination hub to be established on the Coast, but Crouch said the issue is not over logistics, but supply.
“At Gosford Hospital, the Central Coast Local Health District even has the equivalent of a mass vaccination clinic ready and waiting to operate, but there simply isn’t enough supply,” Crouch said.
“If you are over 18 and don’t fall under the above categories, please get vaccinated as quickly as possible.
“Both brands of the vaccine are safe, effective and free.
“Both brands of the vaccine are also proven to reduce the risk of death from COVID-19 by over
90 per cent.”
Maisy Rae
It’s disgusting that we can’t get the Pfizer vaccination. I have copd and my husband is a truck driver that goes to outer west suburb twice a night for deliveries and we can’t get the vaccination. My husband is of aboriginal descent, we are both under 60. Berejiklian jeeos dating to get the jab, we’re willingvto get but we can’t, it’s an absolute joke. We have been on the waiting list since June and still have 3 weeks to wait, It’s a real worry when our infected numbers are increasing. We’ee Going to end up like Sydney!!!Tgr other issue is the waiting time we have to wait for results. When in peak times, we can ge waiting over 72 hours for the results.. Having all this time off and no compensation for wages is a joke. So many people gave no sick leave or annual leave left!!The bills still need to be paid . Lastly, the eligibility app is an absolute joke… it’s very complicated and needs to be simplified. It doesn’t work properly when looking for a clinic to make s booking!!
“from September 13, all children aged 12-15 will be eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccine”.
Eligible, yes, but what is that good for? Next Monday our 15 year old will be eligible. Our 16 year old IS already eligible, and there are absolutely no bookings available. Maybe 12 to 17 year olds will be able to get vaccinated in Sydney, it doesn’t look like that is the case here, not yet.
Wicks said from September 13, all children aged 12-15 will be eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccine
They might be eligible – but try finding a place to book them into on the Central Coast! I cannot book my 17 year old in for his vaccination. Might be quicker to wait till he’s 18? The Liberal Govt. has messed up vaccination delivery and this is the reason for of the current outbreak.
I’m 53 and have underlying health issues and can’t find anywhere on the central coast to get Pfizer