Wollongong's mass vaccination hub will close down at the end of next month, leaving the large space inside the old David Jones department store vacant once again.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District's (ISLHD) announced on Tuesday that it would close the mass vaccination centre, as well as vaccination clinics at Shellharbour City Centre and Shoalhaven Hospital, on June 30.
District health chief Margot Mains said this would allow for a focus on delivering outreach clinics for vulnerable and harder to reach communities with lower vaccination rates and hospital patients and staff.
Read more: NSW records 16 COVID-19 deaths
GPs and pharmacies will continue to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to the majority of the community.
"The past few years have been challenging for everyone, but our community has remained strongly committed to getting vaccinated against COVID-19," Ms Mains said.
"The District's vaccination facilities, and the hundreds of dedicated staff who work there, have significantly contributed to a program which has seen more than 200,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered at our centres since early last year."
The Wollongong hub opened in August 2021, as Australia's vaccination effort ramped up, with the old department store quickly transformed into a hub to vaccinate thousands.
The building was leased by the NSW Government.
"None of us will forget the massive effort involved in transforming a vacant department store into a purpose-built mass vaccination centre in just over a month," Ms Mains said.
"This facility will remain an iconic feature of our response to the pandemic, but the time has come to transition these services and redirect our resources to where they are needed most."
She said other high volume, large vaccination clinics set up throughout NSW would gradually be closed as demand for COVID shots dropped, allowing nurses and other staff working in these centres to return to their roles in hospitals and health services.
"At their peak, vaccinations administered at ISLHD operated clinics reached an average of 7,900 per week, while in recent weeks, the average is around 750," Ms Mains said.
"Many staff have already been redeployed from our vaccination clinics to work in areas impacted by staff furloughed due to COVID-19 and increased demand for hospital and emergency services, which is likely to remain high over the coming winter period."
Ms Mains said NSW Health had contingency plans in place to support GPs and pharmacies if rapid upscaling is required to accommodate an additional booster dose or a new vaccine for a new variant of concern.
To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Sign up for breaking news emails below ...
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
