Mackay Covid-19 vax and testing clinic moves next to Byrnes Pies
Mackay’s Covid hub is on the move into the CBD as the region’s health authorities double-down on the message to get booster shots ahead of the winter season.
Mackay
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Mackay’s Covid-19 drive-through testing and vaccination hub is moving next door to the Byrnes Pie Factory in the CBD.
Plans for the upcoming Mackay Show in June forced the move to the corner of Victoria and Brisbane streets, and comes at a time when vaccination rates across the region are dwindling. “It’s not as strong as it was,” Mackay Hospital and Health Service Covid-19 executive director Julie Rampton said.
“We’re still trying to strongly encourage people to get their booster dose.
“But, numbers have significantly dropped and we feel confident that we will be able to cope.”
The new hub’s size pales in comparison to the showground facility.
Ms Rampton said the decrease represents the present level of demand for vaccinations and testing in the community.
The vaccination hub will close from noon Thursday, April 14.
Staff will then begin moving equipment over the Easter long weekend before returning to its new location at 8am on Tuesday, April 19.
The drive-through testing clinic will close on Friday, April 22 and reopen at 8am the following day.
Ms Rampton was not concerned about the new location’s accessibility to the Mackay community.
“We’re still in a central location, which will be easily found by people in Mackay and so we’re confident it will be a good venue,” she said.
With many staff moving back to the hospital, the hub now has a “significantly smaller team”. The new location allows them to roll out with a smaller staff group but scale up should the demand increase heading into winter.
The vaccination hub will be open from Tuesday to Saturday from 8am to 4pm.
Testing will be available from those times, seven days a week.
In the Mackay local government area, 95.7 per cent of people are at least double vaccinated, 89.2 per cent in the Whitsundays, and 74.6 per cent in Isaac.
On Tuesday there was 96 new Covid-19 cases, taking the active case total to 415.
There are currently 14 Covid-affected patients in hospital.
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