NSW vaccination locations unveiled, as coronavirus jab rollout picks up

NSW Health will open five major vaccine hubs and almost a hundred regional satellite sites from next month, to support the rollout of the COVID-19 jab across the state.

A NSW frontline health worker gets the COVID-19 vaccination at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. Picture: Toby Zerna

NSW Health will open five major vaccine hubs and almost 100 ­regional satellite sites from next month, to support the rollout of the COVID-19 jab.

The vaccination sites will ­initially focus on priority groups including frontline healthcare and border workers and will begin operations from March 15 through to April.

The major hubs will be based in Newcastle, Wollongong, Wagga Wagga, Coffs Harbour and Dubbo hospitals, and vaccines will be distributed to 99 ­regional sites from there.

The vaccine will become available to the rest of the population through local GPs.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the arrival of the vaccine was the turning point for NSW, and the rollout would move swiftly from essential workers to the broader population. “NSW is on track to achieve its goal of more than 35,000 vaccinations in the first three weeks with thousands of frontline workers already ­receiving their first doses thanks to excellent work of our NSW Health staff in the three initial hubs,” she said.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the regional locations were key to targeting possibly entry points for the virus to arrive from overseas. “Wollongong and Newcastle are particularly significant because we have frontline staff meeting overseas freighters arriving at ports and those staff ­obviously are at higher risk than others,” Mr Hazzard said.

The satellite sites will extend to all corners of the state including Armidale, Orange, Lismore, Griffith and Goulburn. NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the distribution sites had been devised to ensure everyone could access the jab locally.