Getting people living in rural and remote areas vaccinated was always going to be a huge job. Since May 2021, the Royal Flying Doctor Service has been flying across the western NSW region, delivering over 33,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to around 50 towns.

While the service has focused on rural and remote communities, where access to vaccinations is more difficult, the crews have been travelling across the state, from Cabbage Tree Island at Lismore to Wanaaring in the north-west, and Jervis Bay to Ivanhoe in the south.

“The communities have ranged from tiny places with a population of less than 100 to regional cities such as Dubbo and Tamworth. Towns include Armatree, Burren Junction, Curlewis, Quambone, Gulargambone, Quirindi, Tullamore and Tottenham, Spring Ridge, Narrabri, Mudgee, Wee Waa and many more,” RFDSSE COVID Vaccination Coordinator Dubbo, Louise Lawler, said.

“We have vaccinated in pop-up small clinics, fields, shearing sheds, pubs and wherever we have need to, to ensure people are protected.

“During the peak of the primary vaccination rollout in the second half of 2021, the RFDSSE partnered with Local Health Districts (LHD), Aboriginal Health Services and others to deliver clinics at locations outside our traditional service delivery areas, such as the New England, North and South Coast regions.

“Some of these clinics were mass vaccination clinics, with up to 800 people per day.”

In early 2022, RFDS also began offering the vaccinations for children aged 5-11 and booster vaccinations for those eligible.

“There are a couple of pockets where rates for booster doses are lower. This has happened for a number of reasons – some people were not able to access vaccines until later last year, meaning that they had to wait for subsequent doses (initially four) then three months between vaccinations,” Ms Lawler said.

“This would result in lower numbers of boosters being given as people were caught up in the outbreak of the very contagious Omicron variant, which delayed their eligibility for subsequent boosters.

“There were huge numbers of people who contracted COVID in January and February which also delayed eligibility for booster doses. We are doing some catching up for these communities in conjunction with the Local Health District and the Primary Health Network at the moment.”

One of the organisation’s most recent efforts was a special clinic at Tooraweenah scheduled for August 16.

RFDS is also working with LHD and Primary Health Networks to get some follow up services to Cobar and Nyngan in coming weeks.

“We will follow up clinics being planned and conducted by LHD to assess whether further clinics are required,” Ms Lawler said.

“If anyone in a town/village can see an unanswered need for a vaccination service, they can contact our Coordinator in Dubbo.”