The Illawarra Shoalhaven's COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Centre in the Wollongong CBD has officially opened its doors today, offering vaccine doses to eager locals who have previously booked online.
The facility in the former David Jones building in the Crown Street mall will provide the Pfizer vaccine and subject to Federal supply, could offer up to 2,500 vaccinations per day.
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District Chief Executive, Margot Mains said vaccination will help people to protect themselves, their loved ones and the community from hospitalisation and even death.
"It is vital our community gets vaccinated, so we are incredibly proud of everyone who helped to deliver this facility so quickly - from the building contractors to our frontline staff - it's truly been a team effort," Ms Mains said.
"In just over a month we have converted a vacant department store into a purpose-built clinic, including medical treatment bays, waiting areas, a pharmacy preparation area, storage, staff facilities and public amenities", she said.
From today, people who were booked to be vaccinated at the Wollongong Hospital and Shellharbour City Centre vaccination clinics will now be vaccinated at the new mass vaccination centre. As the clinic increases capacity, additional appointments will also become available at the new centre via the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility checker.
"We understand that there is a large demand for appointments across our region. We're delighted that so many members of our community appreciate the importance of vaccination and we ask for continued patience as we ramp up the clinic to full capacity as more vaccine becomes available," Ms Mains said.
The centre will have capacity to administer approximately 2,500 vaccinations per day, subject to vaccine supply, which will more than triple the District's current daily vaccinations. As always, it is imperative people make an appointment and attend their allocated time.
The vaccination centre is employs around 200 staff each day, which includes nurses, pharmacists, medical, administrative support and concierge staff.
NSW Health has progressively expanded its capacity to administer COVID-19 vaccines to support the Federal Government's vaccine rollout and now has more than 100 venues across NSW offering vaccinations, in addition to the GP network and pharmacies where people can also be vaccinated. For the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccine, visit the NSW Health website.
Pictured right (from top): Community member checks into the Centre; a member of the pharmacy team delivers the vaccine to an immunisation nurse; members of the community get their vaccines; a happy community member with her vaccination nurse; and people waiting in the observation room after getting their vaccine.
Click here for photos of the Illawarra Shoalhaven COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Centre facilities.
