‘It doesn’t seem like they are in any hurry’: Katherine residents fed up as wait for local access to COVID-19 vaccine drags on

A Katherine resident is fed up as the town continues to go without a COVID-19 vaccination facility for the general public.

• Lack of GPs in Katherine spells weeks-long wait for residents to receive COVID-19 vaccine

A KATHERINE resident is fed up as the town continues to go without a COVID-19 vaccination facility for the general public.

The vaccine is not available in Katherine to non-Indigenous people as there was no general practice in the town when registrations were required to participate.

The health clinics tailored for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the town are providing the vaccine to Indigenous people.

Gene Roser, 66, who is not Indigenous, said part of the community had been left behind and urged authorities to set up a clinic as soon as possible.

The NT government is in the process of putting together a vaccination hub for the town of about 10,000.

An NT Health spokeswoman said an agreement to set up a clinic would be finalised within two weeks.

It is not clear when jabs will actually begin.

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“The Northern Territory government is working with the Australian government to establish a new COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Katherine to fill a gap in the market and provide the community with access to the vaccine,” the spokeswoman said.

Ms Roser feared if there was an outbreak of coronavirus, Katherine would also experience it. The resident of more than 20 years has diabetes and is eligible for the vaccination.

She couldn’t understand why it was taking so long to set up a clinic so every eligible person in Katherine had access to the vaccination.

“It doesn’t seem like they are in any hurry, they probably will eventually (start a vaccination clinic), and I can’t see what the holdup is, all they need is a building,” she said.

She said eligible friends in Katherine had resorted to attempting to book a vaccination in Darwin.

“When you ring Darwin most places just say, ‘haven’t you got somewhere down there to access it?’” she said.

A Katherine resident is fed up as the town continues to go without a COVID-19 vaccination facility for the general public. Picture: Che Chorley

Frontline workers and aged care residents and workers in Katherine have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Currently all Indigenous people and anyone over 50 is eligible to be vaccinated.

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