There were seven cases of COVID-19 reported in the Mid North Coast Local Health District to 8pm yesterday (22 November).
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Five cases are from the Port Macquarie-Hastings Local Government Area (LGA) and two cases are from the Kempsey LGA.
Four cases are household contacts of a confirmed case, one is linked to a known case or cluster and the source of infection of two cases are under investigation.
There have been 485 cases reported in the district since the beginning of the current NSW outbreak.
There are currently 42 active COVID cases in Port Macquarie, 34 in Kempsey, 10 in Nambucca, seven in Coffs Harbour and one in Bellingen, according to NSW Health statistics. Two people are in hospital.
To the south, there are 158 active cases in the Mid-Coast LGA which includes Taree, Forster, Gloucester and Wingham.
With school holidays only weeks away, Healthy North Coast's chief executive officer Julie Sturgess says now is the time for parents and carers to make vaccination of younger teens a priority.
"We know families are making holiday plans as the end of the school year approaches and we would love to see vaccination of our 12 to 15-year-olds part of that preparation," Ms Sturgess said.
"Even one dose gives greater protection than none.
"Our GPs, pharmacies, pop-up clinics and Aboriginal medical services will continue to vaccinate everyone who is eligible. It has never been easier to get vaccinated with more than 200 locations available across our region.
"After-school and weekend walk-ins at pharmacies are handy for busy families, though many parents also love the certainty of a vaccination booking."
National data shows 73 per cent of people aged 12-15 are already vaccinated with their first dose and 59 per cent are vaccinated with two doses. Regional data is currently not available for this age group.
"Once supply arrived in the region, the North Coast community came out in force to ensure we have the best protection possible against the worst of COVID," Ms Sturgess said.
"We are currently sitting at 88.4 per cent of eligible residents 16 years and over now fully vaccinated, which is greater than the national average of 83 per cent for double-dose vaccinations."
Most North Coast LGAs are now over 80 per cent double vaccinated, with Byron Shire, currently at 79 per cent double-dosed, soon to tip that point as well.
"Next week, we will surge past the 90 per cent fully vaccinated mark in our region and we expect to see rates upwards of 95 per cent for the whole of the North Coast before the end of the year," Ms Sturgess said.
"This speaks volumes about our region's focus on health and wellbeing and the tremendous effort of all of our vaccinating practices and providers."
Vaccination bookings can be made through the Vaccination Clinic Finder.
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