Hundreds of local children between the ages of five and 11 received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine today as their age group became eligible for the shot.
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Children in this age bracket will receive two doses of the Pfizer vaccine (one third the adult dose), administered eight weeks apart.
The vaccination hub at Glenrock Country Practice was busy on Monday, with 100 children scheduled to receive their shot - on top of around 200 adults coming forward for their booster.
Dr Ayman Shenouda said the clinic was fully booked - not just on Monday, but for the next couple of weeks as well.
"We have one of the highest percentage of immunisation in New South Wales [and] especially with the [Omicron] outbreak people are worried, so I think even for the booster dose, people are booking all the time," he said.
"Be gentle with the medical staff and realise that it could be booked for a couple of weeks."
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said more than 18,000 children aged five to 11 have caught the virus since the beginning of the pandemic, "which highlights why vaccination is so important".
"We saw a great vaccination response for children aged 12-15 years, so we hope parents will book in their younger children before they start or go back to school," he added.
The vaccine rollout for five to 11 year old's also began through NSW Health clinics on Monday, with Murrumbidgee Local Health District chief executive Jill Ludford saying it will be a "consolidated effort" between a number of groups to get children immunised.
"School goes back in three weeks so it's really really important we maximise every opportunity to get our children vaccinated," she said on Monday.
"We'll be joined by GPs when they receive their supplies and also by pharmacies when they come on board.
"We'll be working together in a consolidated effort to get our children vaccinated."
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The call for children in this age bracket to get vaccinated comes as a child under ten and a baby under 12 months of age from the Riverina, both with COVID-19, were transferred to a specialist children's hospital for treatment.
Dr Shenouda said that vaccination is important for children in this age bracket not only to protect themselves, but to provide further protection for the broader community.
He also said that while cases of COVID keep increasing, there are things the community can still do to protect themselves such as getting vaccinated, including the booster dose, as well as mask wearing, social distancing and washing hands.
"Things we are now used to, it's kind of our nature now, we just keep doing it."
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