NSW to build a second mass vaccination hub

The government is preparing to open a second hub, after officials enlisted an empty warehouse to accelerate its inoculation drive.

Attending a mass COVID-19 vaccination hub in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

The NSW government is preparing to open its second mass vaccination centre in more than a month, after health officials enlisted an empty warehouse in the Hunter Region to help accelerate the state’s inoculation drive.

Late on Monday afternoon, the Berejiklian government final­ised plans to transform a former Bunnings warehouse in Lake Macquarie into the state’s second mass vaccination site, adding to its Homebush location, which opened on May 10.

Speaking ahead of the announcement, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said in a statement that the centre would have the “capacity to administer up to 20,000 vaccines per week and is expected to open in mid-July”.

The centre is set to be located at 393 Pacific Highway, Belmont, with more than 100 builders already working to convert the site over the next six weeks.

“Our mass vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park has been a huge success, vaccinating more than 5000 people a day already,” Ms Berejiklian said.

The former Bunnings Warehouse set to be transformed into NSW's second mass vaccination hub in mid-July. Photo: Supplied

The NSW government plans to replicate its Homebush model in the Hunter Region in a bid to accelerate the rollout and provide greater vaccine accessibility to regional NSW residents.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the region has already demonstrated its readiness to embrace the new facility because of the high rates of testing and online registrations. “More than half a million people to date have fronted for testing, so I am confident the community will register online to get vaccinated at this new centre, or with their GP, and encourage others to do the same,” he said.

The centre is expected to employ more than 100 nurses, 25 pharmacists and upwards of 200 support staff.