COVAX rollout extends: St George Hospital Vaccination Hub opens  

SESLHD staff have received the first AstraZeneca vaccines at St George Hospital’s Vaccination Hub, which opened on Wednesday 10 March.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, NSW Minister for Health and Medical Research Brad Hazzard MP and NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant were given a tour of the hub by Tobi Wilson, Chief Executive SESLHD; Kim Olesen, Acting Director of Operations, SESLHD; Paul Darcy, General Manager, St George Hospital; Dr Heidi Boss, Director Medical Services, St George Hospital and Lauren Sturgess, Acting Director of Nursing, St George Hospital, before receiving their vaccinations in front of the media's cameras.

Cleaning Services Supervisor Hailey Sharif was the first staff member to be vaccinated at St George Hospital earlier in the day.

“I feel so fortunate to receive the vaccine, it gives extra assurance that I’m going to be protected.  I want to protect my kids and my grandkids. I’ve got five children, 14 grandchildren and one great grandchild.  It’s so important that we all receive our vaccine to keep each other safe,” Ms Sharif said.

Katie Swanson, a speech pathologist also received one of the first doses of the vaccine.

"I’m happy and relieved to receive the vaccine.  I work with vulnerable patients in aged care and it’s good to know that I’m protecting them as well as myself. Everything went smoothly this morning and I’d strongly encourage everyone to do it,” Ms Swanson said.

Paul Darcy said the opening of the St George Hospital Vaccination Hub is an important step in protecting those with the greatest risks of potential exposure to COVID-19.

“Today is an exciting milestone in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and we look forward to providing vaccinations to more and more people from our community as the roll out expands,” Mr Darcy said.

“I’d like to thank the staff for their ongoing efforts and also thank everyone who has been involved in the planning and set up of the clinic.”