The Pfizer COVID vaccine is on its way to Mudgee, which means if you're eligible you can now receive your Pfizer shots locally.
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Bookings open on Monday, July 5. To see if you're eligible, head to covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility.
Appointments can be made online through hotdoc.com.au or by calling 6362 4031.
Mudgee GP Dr Alex Ghanem said as we approach 4,000 people already vaccinated in the region with at least one round of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the introduction of Pfizer availability will only push the number of protected people in the community even higher.
"This is quite exciting, that people don't have to travel, they can have it locally," Dr Ghanem said.
"It is two vaccines, the vaccine immediately and then 21 days afterwards, the vaccine is highly effective and fortunately, has a really good side effect profile."
Dr Ghanem said both vaccines will still be available. Many have already received their first AstraZeneca jab and are awaiting their second. Also, it was announced this week that anyone under the age of 40 can request the AstraZeneca vaccine from their GP.
Much has been made about the risk of Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, but NSW Health estimates that for people aged under 50, the estimated risk of TTS is 3.1 for every 100,000 people, or just 0.0031 per cent and this gets even more remote as your age increases.
"We've seen close to 4,000 people in the clinic for vaccinations. We've been vaccinating up to 140 people a day in that four-hour period with five nurses and a doctor available," Dr Ghanem said.
"The support from the community has been terrific and people have certainly jumped on board. Especially with the recent outbreak I think people have begun to realise that this is not going to go away for us and that really the only way forward is for us to look at vaccinating.
"It's not going to be enough to just sit here in Mudgee and stay at home. We really need to do something about this."
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