A Windale doctors surgery will host a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic this weekend, heeding calls to lift jab rates in the suburb.
Windale Community Medical Centre will run the pop-up clinic from 9am this Saturday and next Saturday, where people aged 18 and over can get vaccinated without an appointment.
Dr Melissa Collogan said the temporary clinic had been organised in response to the recent positive case in the community.
"Windale is quite a vulnerable community with residents suffering chronic illness and socioeconomic disadvantage," Dr Collogan said.
"So the risk of morbidity and mortality is higher.
"Access to vaccines has proven to be difficult and the recent local case highlighted the need for better access."
Dr Collogan said they would definitely have Astrazeneca jabs, and were trying to source Pfizer as well, but had not heard back about whether it will be available.
The practice has not conducted coronavirus vaccinations before due to logistical issues, but Dr Collogan said the local case had "sped up the process" to supply the service.
While the service is aimed at Windale residents, Dr Collogan said people from surrounding suburbs will also be welcome.
The clinic follows a pop-up testing service held in Windale last weekend.
Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison had previously called for the NSW government to establish a pop-up vaccine clinic in the suburb, which has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the Lower Hunter.
She said she was "really pleased" that a pop up clinic will be set up in an area easily accessible to the people of Windale.
"It's important to recognise communities have different abilities to get around," she said.
Ms Harrison urged people to take advantage of the temporary service.
Windale is quite a vulnerable community with residents suffering chronic illness and socioeconomic disadvantage
Dr Melissa Collogan
"Unfortunately there will always be a small, small minority of people doing the wrong thing," she said.
"So we need to protect ourselves."
Meanwhile, Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has opened a vaccination centre in Newcastle for employees and families.
The major bank opened the vaccine centre in Newcastle yesterday, which followed the opening of the company's first vaccination centre in Parramatta at the beginning of August, and centres in other local government areas of concern last week.
Priority access is given to those in customer-facing roles. Bookings are then available for all employees who live in the LGA, their families and household members.
The opening of the new vaccine centres coincides with the bank's rollout of rapid antigen testing for branch staff in the same LGAs of concern.
CBA says it plans to extend the program nationally as more vaccine supplies become available.
