Younger Canberrans between the ages of 16 and 29 can now register their interest in booking a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at a Health Directorate clinic.
Chief Minister, Andrew Barr said the Territory was leading the nation in the vaccine rollout and he expected the trend to continue in the months ahead as vaccine supply increased.
“Sixteen to 29-year-old Canberrans can register now for MyDHR to make it faster and easier to book an appointment when they become eligible,” Mr Barr said.
“The registration process worked extremely well for 30 to 39 year olds, with more than 20,000 people in this age group booking an appointment on the first day of eligibility,” he said.
Mr Barr said many younger Canberrans had been rolling up their sleeves and getting an AstraZeneca vaccine from their GP or pharmacist, and strong demand from the roughly 64,000 people remaining in the cohort was expected.
Minister for Health, Rachel Stephen-Smith said with eligibility for Pfizer vaccines on the way, young Canberrans would have more options when it came to getting vaccinated.
“Becoming eligible to make a Pfizer booking will be a welcome development for many 16 to 29 year olds who have seen the impact of the Delta strain on younger people,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
“I expect demand to be just as high for this age group as it has been each time we have opened eligibility for other cohorts,” she said.
Ms Stephen-Smith said with demand at Health Directorate mass vaccination clinics already very high and no Pfizer bookings available for the general public until October, many younger Canberrans may still choose to talk to their health professional about the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Minister said opening the vaccination registration system to the cohort would at least give them some certainty about locking in a Pfizer appointment in the future.
Further information on COVID-19 vaccines can be accessed at this PS News link.
