Wodonga COVID vaccine hub alters waiting timeframe for second shot

Albury Wodonga Health chief executive Michael Kalimnios confirmed the extra wait on Sunday following a Department of Health and Human Services announcement on Saturday.

"In line with changes announced by the Victorian Government, from Monday, timing between first and second doses of Pfizer at the Wodonga COVID-19 vaccination hub will be at least six weeks," he said.

However, exempt workers, such as those in frontline health, can still get their second jab in three weeks, the previous dose gap.

Mr Kalimnios said "anyone who has already booked their second Pfizer dose appointment can attend their appointment as planned".

The change is aimed at freeing up slots for more people to have their first shot.

It followed Murrumbidgee Local Health District, which has vaccine hubs at Deniliquin, Griffith and Wagga, confirming Pfizer supplies had been reallocated to COVID-beset Sydney.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced last week Pfizer would be shifted from regional areas to allow year 12 students in Sydney to be immunised.

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The action infuriated member for Murray Helen Dalton and fellow Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party MP Philip Donato.

He has launched a petition calling on the state government to reverse its decision and "equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines across the entirety of NSW".

Ms Berejiklian on Sunday stressed the need for the shift, even though there is disquiet about Sydney students returning to school.

"It's only around 19,000 students we're talking about, when you consider there are eight million people in NSW, when you consider we've been able to stop the spread of the virus in our regions and in other parts of Sydney in a massive way, it's really important for us to give those year 12 students a chance to finish their exams and get rewarded," she said.

Those students are due to resume classes on August 16.