Slow progress as COVID vaccine rolls out across aged care centres on Mid North Coast

Six thousand residents living in 80 residential aged care facilities in the region are a part of the phase 1a rollout of the vaccination program which started on February 22.

Of those, 545 residents have received the jab.

In Port Macquarie-Hastings, the vaccination of residents and staff at eight age care facilities has been delayed for several weeks due to "scheduling issues and logistical challenges"

"Healthcare Australia has advised it has made internal resourcing changes to ensure it can deliver the vaccination program safely and efficiently," Healthy North Coast CEO Julie Sturgess said.

The first Pfizer/BioNTech vaccinations have been allocated to 15 residential aged care facilities - seven in Ballina/Alstonville and eight in Port Macquarie-Hastings.

These locations were chosen as first priority regional areas because of the higher proportion of residents aged over 65 years.

Healthcare Australia is the organisation contracted by the Commonwealth Government to administer COVID-19 vaccinations for residents of residential aged care facilities (RACFs) on the North Coast.

Healthy North Coast is continuing to play a key role in supporting the program.

The Australian government has made it clear the free COVID-19 vaccination program will be voluntary in Australia, however, strongly encourages people to participate.

Healthy North Coast is providing education, coordination, and mass vaccination planning support to residential aged care facilities (RACFs), general practices, GP respiratory clinics, Aboriginal medical services, pharmacies and residential disability facilities.

"This will ensure a timely and effective vaccine rollout in our communities from Port Macquarie to Tweed Heads," Ms Sturgess said.

Currently, more than 100 general practices in northern NSW and on the mid-north coast are planning to participate in the vaccine rollout.

Close to 13,000 vaccine doses for Phase 1b will start to be delivered to these general practices from late March/early April.

The rollout is expected to reach phase 2a and 2b, the remainder of the adult population, around the middle of 2021.

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