Hub gets set to shut
BELMONT'S mass vaccination hub will close on July 1 as demand wanes.
Hunter New England Health has confirmed the high volume vaccination centre will wind up after almost a year of delivering COVID-19 vaccines.
As of May 16, about 271,000 of the region's 429,292 COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered at the centre - including 231,618 adults and 39,330 children.
A spokesperson said the vaccination program was entering a new phase.
"As demand has now decreased, there is no need for a clinic of this size and the Belmont hub will close," she said. "A smaller clinic will operate from the Wallsend health campus, which will also focus on providing an outreach service for vulnerable and harder to reach communities and supporting local private providers. All bookings after July 1 will be at the new clinic at Wallsend."
GPs and pharmacists will continue to provide free COVID-19 vaccinations to the broader community.
NSW Health has contingency plans in place if rapid upscaling is required to accommodate an additional booster dose or a new vaccine for a new variant of concern.
We would also like to continue to encourage the public to keep coming forward for their vaccinations to protect themselves, their loved ones and the community against COVID-19.
