PM demands Gladys Berejiklian urgently send more vaccines to Central Coast

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has demanded Gladys Berejiklian urgently replace Pfizer doses redirected from the Central Coast to NSW.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has demanded NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urgently replace Pfizer doses redirected from the Central Coast to NSW.

The Prime Minister stepped in amid reports of “white hot anger” over the issue now that a Covid outbreak has hit students on the Central Coast.

The Federal Government is now bringing forward vaccine supplies across NSW but said a condition was that supply be restored to regions that had appointments cancelled.

“We are ensuring the doses that were reallocated from Newcastle/Hunter and the Central Coast to Sydney by the State Government, are replaced in full,” he told news.com.au

“The Federal Government is delivering 183,690 additional Pfizer doses to NSW in August.”

Earlier, Ms Berejiklian’s decision to redirect Pfizer vaccine supplies from the Central Coast to Sydney hotspots was slammed as “an act of insanity” with Covid outbreaks now shutting down two local schools in the area.

Furious local MPs have called on Mr Morrison to take action after the decision to take vaccines from local doctors.

Two schools in the Central Coast and Lake Macquarie areas have now been closed in the last 24 hours after three siblings tested positive to Covid.

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The Prime Minister Scott Morrison during Question Time in the House of Representatives in Parliament House Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The two schools are Lake Munmorah Public School and Morisset High School. Deep cleaning is now under way with dozens of students and families

Labor MP Pat Conroy, who holds the electorate of Shortland, said families were furious they had been left without Pfizer vaccines in the middle of an outbreak after they were redirected to Sydney.

“It‘s an act of insanity. We have Covid in our community,’’ he told news.com.au

“So even when the Premier took the vaccines last week she was taking vaccines off communities that already have Covid.

“We desperately need supply. The Prime Minister said in question time they are maintaining supply. The truth is you can‘t get Pfizer right now. You can’t get an appointment. Both the state and federal government have failed us.”

Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon said Mr Morrison needed to intervene to increase the supply of vaccines.

“They are taking it from electorates that are bordering the hotspots. They don‘t have the supply they need because Scott Morrison never secured the vaccines,’’ she told news.com.au.

“When people started receiving the text messages on Saturday that their bookings had been cancelled they were frustrated and disappointed. But they had sympathy for Sydney and the idea this was for Year 12 students.

“That has really turned to white hot anger. We were always at risk. The Central Coast is less than 50 km from my electorate

“The fragments are now showing in all of the sewerage treatment facilities in my electorate. There’s not enough testing.”

RELATED: State to receive huge Pfizer haul

Member for New England Barnaby Joyce and Member for Hunter Joel Fitzgibbon during Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House on June 03, 2021 in Canberra, Australia. Picture: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

During her daily press conference today, the NSW Premier said it could be weeks before the vaccines were back on the ground

“Firstly, the regional doses will be replaced in the week of 16 August,’’ she said.

“That’s because the Prime Minister informed me personally last night that he was able to provide an extra 180,000 doses to New South Wales over the next two weeks. I’m very grateful for that because, as you know, a key priority of our Government is to make sure every student can sit the HSC.

“It’s a legal requirement for every student to sit a public examination process. We want to make sure every child from those eight local government areas has the opportunity to do their best, to be their best, not only to protect them against the virus and protect their family but also to go through the HSC process.

“It’s an incredibly stressful time for those students and their families. That’s why. We’ve made very clear, I think, what our vaccine strategy has had to be adjusted to because of what’s happening in New South Wales. I’ve been vocal publicly about our need and want for more vaccines.”

Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon said the anger in the community was massive and the vaccine supply was “a mess.”

“White hot anger. People on the central coast feel like they are being treated like second class citizens. We are sympathetic to our city cousins. But we are threatened by the virus too,‘’ he said.

“We have frontline health workers who were unable to get the Pfizer vaccine at the time for various reasons, I know a nurse who was pregnant. Now she wants to get vaccinated and she cant‘.

“I was one of those that received the text message on Saturday night cancelling an appointment. I was booked in to get AZ and three days before my jab, they changed the advice on AZ for under 60s,‘’ he said.

Joel Fitzgibbon during Question Time in the House of Representatives in Parliament House Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“I told my GP I was happy to take AZ but he wouldn’t give it to me. I finally got a Pfizer appointment and I got a text message cancelling my appointment. My GP sent me a text the next morning and he said if you want to come up I will give you the AZ. But the anger in the community is massive.”

Overnight, Lake Munmorah principal Narelle Baldwin warned parents that two students were infected and warned parents to keep their kids at home until further notice.

“The NSW Department of Education has been advised by NSW Health that two students at our school have tested positive for Covid-19 … our school will be non-operational effective immediately for the on-site attendance of staff and visitors to allow time for contact tracing and cleaning,” Ms Baldwin wrote on the school‘s Facebook page.

“All staff and students are asked to self-isolate until you receive further advice … the safety and wellbeing of our staff and students is of paramount importance to us at all times.”

Lake Macquarie state MP Greg Piper said there were three confirmed cases of Covid-19 involving siblings at Morisset High School and Lake Munmorah public school who were on site and infectious.

Greens Senator Adam Bandt asked the Prime Minister in question time on Wednesday if, given the growing numbers of school students who have been infected with COVID, teenagers should be included in the national vaccination target.

The Prime Minister said that the Doherty modelling suggested that including those under 16 in the overall vaccination target was not recommended.

“That does not mean to say that there isn‘t a role for the vaccination of those under 16 but in terms of the epidemiology, in terms of hitting the vaccination targets. that is not necessary,’’ he said.

“But the vaccination of children is a matter that has been carefully considered right now by the Chief Medical Officer. We are also awaiting the advice from the ATAGI group on where those priorities have been because there has been differing practices around the world in terms of the vaccination of children so it is something the government is taking extremely seriously.”