Wyndham City demands local vaccine access for under 40s

Wyndham City tonight urgently called on the State Government to provide a local seven-day a week Vaccination Hub that includes access for 18-39 year-olds.

Wyndham Mayor Cr Adele Hegedich said that while the State had ramped up access to vaccines for over 40s in recent days, the city’s young people had been ignored.

“Fifty-six percent of Wyndham’s 280,000 residents are under the age of 35 and, as the recent outbreak has demonstrated, they desperately need access to vaccinations,” Cr Hegedich said.

 “Currently the closest State-run vaccination hub is in Sunshine or Geelong. If you have young children, as many of our residents do, or you work in casual labour, hopping in your car to travel more than 30 minutes to get a vaccination is just a bridge too far.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Wyndham City has worked very closely with Western Health and the State Government to advocate very strongly for the needs of its community.

Recently, Wyndham City was successful in working with Western Health to open a seven-day State-run vaccination hub at the Civic Centre, but only for those aged over 40.

Cr Hegedich said the Council would write to the Premier and the Minister for Health asking for its share of the 150,000 Pfizer vaccinations allocated to the nine State-run hubs around Greater Melbourne announced by the Government on Sunday.

“This is a matter of equity and access,” Cr Hegedich said.

“We cannot expect Wyndham residents to rush to get vaccinated when the majority of them have not been eligible and, now that they are, have to drive out of the municipality to receive it,” Cr Hegedich said.

“It is in the interests of the whole State and in fact the whole country for the State to prioritise access to the vaccine for our young Wyndham residents,” she said.