Wagga doctors and pharmacists say the need to keep working after October 11 has been the overwhelming reason given for people bringing their vaccination dates forward.
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After some confusion over the past few days, Deputy Premier Paul Toole confirmed on Thursday that workers in regional areas who have received one vaccination dose will be permitted to return to their workplace from October 11.
There will be a grace period until November 1 for workers to receive their second dose.
People without both vaccination shots will be barred from pubs, restaurants, sporting events and non-essential retail stores for about seven weeks under the NSW COVID-19 roadmap for reopening.
Southcity Pharmacy owner and pharmacist Luke Van der Rijt said the workplace jab requirement was the main reason given for booking first or second jabs, far above the prospect of temporarily losing social and recreational freedoms.
"I can't say it's increasing as we're at capacity but we're seeing a lot of people who are required to go back to work making inquiries about if they can move their second shot forward, and if they are on AstraZeneca [Vaxzevria] they can, depending on when they had their first shot," Mr Van der Rijt said.
"It has been quite busy, we're booked out every day. After October 11 we're starting to get a lot of the second shots booked in."
Glenrock Country Practice's Dr Ayman Shenouda urged people to consider their risk levels before deciding to bring forward their second AstraZeneca to less than 12 weeks from the first.
"Some people are willing to have their AstraZeneca a bit early because of their jobs and as long as they understand the risks then that's alright as it gives the best immunity at 12 weeks," he said.
"I would rather people get the vaccine because of the benefit rather than being forced into it."
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Dr Shenouda said he would only recommend early second vaccine shots to essential workers or people planning to travel to Sydney.
Murrumbidgee Local Health District chief executive Jill Ludford said there had been a rapid increase in the number of people getting vaccinated in the region.
"Because we now have a much better supply ... you can pretty much make an appointment and get in within a couple of days or even a day in some cases, so I think that makes it much easier for people," she said.
"There are lots of walk-in clinics now available for people and the eligibility criteria are much easier to understand so I think we're going to see a lot more people get it done, and of course we're seeing a great response from parents bringing their children in."
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