Four Wagga general practices have been named among more than 1000 Australian clinics selected to administer the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine from Monday.
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The Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network has confirmed that residents eligible to be vaccinated in "phase 1b" of the national vaccine rollout can now make appointments at KRS Health Family Medical; Blamey Street Surgery; Glenrock Country Practice or Kooringal Medical Centre.
Those eligible include healthcare workers currently employed and not included in "phase 1a"; critical and high risk workers currently employed; people aged 70 years and older; adults with an underlying medical condition, including disability; and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over 55 years.
Other residents will join a staggered rollout starting with people aged over 50 years in phases "2a" and "2b".
Blamey Street Surgery doctor Rachel Glasson said there was "a good chance" all adults in Wagga could receive their first of two vaccine doses by October.
The Morrison government had previously announced it would offer vaccinations to all adult Australians by October and said it would vaccinate 4 million vulnerable people by April, both of which are now unlikely.
Dr Glasson said residents would receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, with most recipients to wait about 12 weeks between each jab.
"With the three month gap between doses, my feeling is that it will be early next year by the time everyone's had their second dose," she said.
"Even with one dose of the vaccine, it's been shown to dramatically reduce a person's risk of hospitalisation or death so I think if we have a first dose in everybody in October that would be a great achievement."
The Murrumbidgee announcement came as the Australian Medical Association and Royal Australian College of General Practitioners issued a joint statement calling for "clarity" as clinics around the country were inundated with calls.
RACGP president Karen Price said the government "needs to better communicate with the community" on the rollout and "not build unrealistic expectations, particularly at this early stage".
Fourteen general practices and five GP Vaccination Hubs, including those in Wagga, will administer the vaccine in the Murrumbidgee from Monday.
MPHN acting chief executive officer Julie Redway said Riverina residents would be informed of more general practices commencing vaccinations over the coming weeks.
To check your eligibility for a vaccine visit https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility. If you are eligible for the vaccine you will be redirected to book.