The AIS Arena COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic will close on 31 May as the ACT’s high vaccination rates and current low demand mean staff can be redeployed across the healthcare system, Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith announced today.
“With more than 97 per cent of eligible Canberrans having already received their two primary COVID vaccine doses and more than 75 per cent of those aged 16 and over up-to-date with their booster, a mass clinic like the AIS Arena is no longer necessary,” she said.
The minister encouraged anyone who is “eligible for a COVID‑19 vaccine and has been meaning to come to the AIS Arena clinic to walk in and get vaccinated before it closes – no appointment is needed.”
The AIS Arena clinic has administered close to 286,000 COVID-19 vaccinations since opening in September last year and at its height, administered almost 23,000 doses weekly.
Current health advice is that that people should wait three months after a confirmed COVID-19 infection to get their COVID vaccine booster dose to achieve a better immune response and longer protection from reinfection.
Patients who have an AIS Arena COVID-19 vaccination booking from June onwards will be contacted by ACT Health to make alternative arrangements, including moving the appointment forward if possible.
The clinic opened to the public on 3 September 2021, at a time when the waitlist for the next available free Pfizer appointment was over one month.
