ACT receives extra vaccines, second Pfizer hub to open

The ACT will open another mass vaccination clinic in the airport precinct next week as the Territory is due to receive an extra 3000 doses of Pfizer per week.

Appointments for the second Pfizer hub will begin next Tuesday (29 June). The centre will be located at 30 Nomad Drive in Pialligo and will operate seven days a week.

The airport clinic will administer 1500 Pfizer vaccines a week for three weeks before ramping up to 3000 appointments a week as people book in for their second doses.

Three weeks are needed between Pfizer doses.

The ACT currently receives around 6000 to 7000 doses of Pfizer from the Commonwealth every week, meaning more than 10,000 doses a week will be administered from July.

People between 50 and 59 who had to reschedule their vaccine appointments following last week’s updated advice on AstraZeneca will now be able to book in for their Pfizer jab from today.

To book an appointment:

• Use the ACT Government booking system MyDHR, or
• Call the ACT Government COVID-19 Vaccination line on 02 5124 7700, 7:00 am to 7:00 pm daily (callers can request a call back and will not lose their place in the queue).

In response to comments from Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman last Friday (18 June) that the revised rollout would delay the eligibility of people between 30 and 39, Chief Minister Andrew Barr said he expected a vaccination blitz in the final quarter of the year.

“The supply of Pfizer, and indeed Moderna potentially coming into the mix for quarter four this year, means there will be a big ramp-up in the final few months of calendar-year 2021,” Mr Barr said following an emergency National Cabinet meeting this morning (21 June).

“We are not yet at a point where we can give an exact date, but the signs are encouraging that the supply chain is building up and that there will be multiple vaccines available.

“The Commonwealth’s stated goal, and we will continue to hold them to this, is that everyone who wants a first dose should get access to one in 2021.”

GPs will also be able to administer the Pfizer jab in the next month or two, with 500 clinics around Australia joining the rollout within the first week of the expansion in mid-July.

This will then be followed by an additional 500 the week after and a further 300 the week following that.

Mr Barr said the government was still a few weeks away from making a Territory-specific announcement.

Further details about the GP rollout are due to be announced by the Commonwealth Government, which oversees the administration of vaccines from clinics.

Canberrans are also being reminded to check on the NSW Health website for the updated list of exposure locations as the cluster in Sydney grew to 11 today.

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said 127 close contacts are in quarantine after visiting exposure locations in the ACT and seven close contacts quarantining after visiting exposure locations in NSW.

A full list of exposure sites can be found on the NSW Health website.

For more information about COVID-19 and the vaccine rollout in the ACT, visit www.covid19.act.gov.au.