Danila Dilba to open Saturdays amid surging demand for Covid-19 vaccine
A leading NT medical service has reacted to a rush from the public to get the Covid-19 vaccine, announcing they’ll open on an additional day to keep up with demand.
Northern Territory
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DANILA Dilba Health Service has announced it’ll open one of its clinics for an additional day amid surging demand for the Covid-19 vaccine.
It follows the NT government’s announcement in recent weeks that anyone aged 16 and over can now book in for their jab.
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Demand has been so high that various news organisations have reported clinics have been booked out for weeks.
Danila Dilba has confirmed it’ll open its Palmerston clinic to administer vaccines on Saturday, with the hope it’ll become a permanent feature through the Covid-19 jab rollout.
However, the expanded hours will only be for over 50s, who will be able to book in to get their AstraZeneca vaccine.
Danila Dilba clinical governance head Sharni Cardona said demand for the vaccine had surged twice in recent weeks.
“One for the recent outbreak of COVID-19 in Melbourne, and then a much larger spike when the Territory government opened up vaccination eligibility to include everyone over the age of 16,” Ms Cardona said.
“It’s great to see Territorians recognising that the vaccine is the best way to protect themselves and their community from COVID-19.”
Ms Cardona said the surge had caused the centre to be booked out for at least the next several weeks, prompting the extra hours of operation.
“Depending on the popularity of this Saturday’s appointments, we’ll look at more regular Saturday opening hours, and potentially opening our Darwin CBD Vaccination Centre on a Saturday as well,” she said.
“We’re keen to make it as easy as possible for people in Darwin and Palmerston to access the vaccine, and providing Saturday appointments could be a key part of that.”
It comes as the NT government also looks toward opening up its own mass-vaccination centre in Darwin.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Natasha Fyles told NT Estimates the new centre at a yet-unannounced location was on track for July.
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