NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday called for people to come forward to get vaccinated, less than a day after numerous Pfizer appointments in the Hunter were scrapped via text message as doses were redirected to Sydney.
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The state recorded 239 locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, with at least 35 infectious in the community. Two more overseas acquired cases were also recorded.
"Of course I have empathy for those people, we'd love to be awash in all types of vaccines," Ms Berejiklian said when questioned about the cancelled appointments.
"At the end of the day all of us are making sacrifices to reduce the spread and get us out of lockdown as soon as possible, and I thank people for their sacrifices. It's a very challenging time."
"If you happen to have been asked to wait a couple of weeks, please know the AstraZeneca only has a three-day wait on average."
Ms Berejiklian told reporters it was crucial that more jabs in more arms were delivered in the state's fight against the Sydney outbreak.
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"The one positive take-out is at the virus has not in the main, or outside those eight local government areas of concern," she said.
"Having said that, we don't want to see the virus spread further and households, whole households, become infected because one person has brought virus into the home."
"Let August be the month when we break records in vaccination," she said. "That is a good number, we can do better."
Ms Berejiklian said that the state was vaccinating about 500,000 each week and the government was applying a "full-court press" in the eight Sydney local government areas at the heart of that city's woes.
"It's really becoming easier to access the vaccine," she said.
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