Walk-in vaccination clinic to open in Grafton as regional travel delayed

Grafton will get its first walk-in vaccination clinic in an effort to boost rates as Sydneysiders banned from regional holidays until November.

Regional travel will be held off until November as concerns linger over relatively low vaccination rates in the region.

It’s understood senior ministers in the NSW Government expressed concern at vaccination rates in the bush, and have now made a decision to delay opening up until November 1.

Restrictions on regional travel were to be eased next week when the state is expected to hit its 80 per cent vaccination target.

Meanwhile, a walk-in vaccination clinic will open to Grafton residents for the first time.

Dubbed ‘Super Sunday’ by Northern NSW Health, the clinic at the Linkway in Grafton Shopping World will allow anyone without a vaccination to get one without an appointment.

The clinic will be open between 8am and 3pm.

As of Monday Grafton had a double-dose vaccination rate of 56.6 per cent, with 87 percent of residents receiving just the one jab.

A packed Yamba Main Beach in years gone by. It is expected that regional travel may be delayed again due to low vaccination rates.

On Thursday night Northern NSW Health also expanded the list of venues of concern in the Grafton area, as the town reported one more positive case of Covid-19.

The venues concern shopping centres in South Grafton and Grafton on Thursday October 7 and Saturday October 9.

Anyone else who has been at the venues at the date and time listed is considered a casual contact and must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

Casual contacts should also get a test on day six after exposure, but do not have to isolate while waiting for this result, if they are well.

There were three cases of Covid-19 detected within the Northern NSW Local Health District in total up to 8pm on Wednesday night.

The food court at Grafton Shoppingworld has been named as a casual contact venue of concern.

This case is a household contact of a previously reported case.

Northern NSW Local Health District acting chief executive Lynne Weir thanked the local Grafton community for coming forward for testing in such high numbers, with 2447 tests conducted in Grafton testing clinics in the past five days.

“On behalf of our health service and the community I also thank the incredibly hard working staff at the testing clinics who do an outstanding job day in day out,” she said

Testing clinics are available in Grafton at:

• Laverty Pathology Drive Through Clinic, Hawthorne Park, Minden Street, South Grafton. Open today and tomorrow 9am – 3pm.

• Grafton Base Hospital, 184 Arthur Street, Grafton, open seven days. Open today and tomorrow, 7am – 7pm.

• Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology Grafton South, Coles Complex, Shop 9, 4 Bent Street, South Grafton. Open today and tomorrow 7am – 4pm.