Pop-up clinics bolstering Covid-19 vaccine rollout

Pop-up vaccination clinics opened across Sydney’s hard-hit western suburbs offering the AstraZeneca jabs to walk-ins but, bizarrely, turned away anyone aged under 40.

Western Sydney resident Sky Carr about to receive the AstraZeneca vaccination on Tuesday. Picture: Jane Dempster

Pop-up vaccination clinics opened across Sydney’s hard-hit western suburbs offering the AstraZeneca jabs to walk-ins but, bizarrely, turned away anyone aged under 40.

Despite new advice from the vaccine regulator that all Sydneysiders should “strongly consider” getting AstraZeneca because of the increased risk of contracting Covid-19, NSW Health restricted the pop-ups to those over age 40,

The restriction came on the same day Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that pharmacists and vaccine hubs would this week be able to administer AstraZeneca vaccines to anyone aged over 18 in line with updated advice.

A spokesperson could not explain the contradictory rulings but said NSW Health had required some time to implement ATAGI’s updated health advice. All NSW Health vaccine hubs, including pop-up clinics, would be offering the AstraZeneca shot to under 40s from Friday, they said.

For those in the permitted age group, the pop-up clinics were a hit. Greystanes mother of two Sky Carr, who scraped in at 41, admitted she had been “very nervous” about mixed messaging around the AstraZeneca shot. However, the Karaoke business operator said as the clinic was just around the corner at the Greystanes Community Centre on Tuesday, she decided to “just bite the bullet … And it was so simple and easy to get it, no lining up, no waiting and I’m just glad it’s done.”

However, Aidan Rowe, 19, was left disappointed after he attended the clinic with a note from his GP advising he could get the AstraZeneca jab, only to be turned away because he was under 40: “You would think they would give it to anyone who wanted to get vaccinated.”