Sending Newcastle COVID-19 vaccine doses to Sydney has done damage: Letters and short takes August 3 2021

Apparently not - I received the text Saturday afternoon that my vaccine had been "redirected" to Year 12 students in Sydney ('Jab fury', Newcastle Herald 2/8). The text gave no indication about when I can expect to rebook the Pfizer vaccine I have waited for all these months. If I had taken the AstraZeneca "redirected" COVID dose, which has now been deemed safe for my age group, all those months ago when I first booked it I would be due for my second shot this week. Now I have no booking for either vaccine. With no detail provided on when my Pfizer shot will be rebooked, I cannot make an informed decision about which vaccine will enable me to be vaccinated soonest. And with the highly contagious Delta variant charging seemingly unchecked through Sydney, it seems only a matter of time before it arrives in Newcastle.

So many of us have been left betrayed and defenceless in the face of this virus. The state and federal governments should hang their heads in shame.

SO it has begun. Our state government made the decision to vaccinate Year 12 Sydney students by redirecting Pfizer vaccines from regional NSW. No, they said, no one will be disadvantaged. No, they said, no one's health will be compromised.

My son in law was scheduled for his first vaccination at the end of August. Today he got an email. Your vaccine is being redirected to Sydney year 12 students. You will have to rebook for your vaccination. My son in law was hospitalised pre-COVID for severe airway obstruction when he had the flu. He has a pre-existing condition that means his airway is compromised if he gets an airway infection. This state government has already sneaked in vaccinating a large group of Sydney private school students. When questioned all the health minister could say was 'move on'. Pardon? Move on?

This government has a history of marginalising non-Liberal regional parts of NSW. This government has allowed citizens to be at risk and now this decision. I, for one, would like to declare my utter disdain for this new initiative. How many regional citizens will be put at increased risk of illness with ongoing morbidity?

Like most citizens I am doing my part in addressing the pandemic. Why then can't this government do their part for all NSW citizens? If you are a politician, a celebrity, a sports person, attend a Sydney private school and now a Sydney year 12 school student you get preferential treatment over vulnerable and frontline workers in the COVID vaccine roll out.

WE are constantly encouraged, implored even, to book in for our needles for protection against the current pandemic. Our Premier said "If you want to protect yourself and your loved ones, get vaccinated. That is the strongest message we can send."

There are many stories emerging about the difficulties of making such a booking; of not relying on your personal doctor, of booking at the chemist, of booking with the new Belmont hub.

Well, many people I know made such a booking back in June and were virtually counting down until their allotted appointment time. Can you imagine their annoyance, anger, frustration when they received an email saying their booking is cancelled and the vaccine is going back to Sydney ('Jab fury', Herald 2/8)?

My anger is not aimed at a particular group being targeted for the vaccine in Sydney. I agree with that decision, however, withdrawing it from people already holding bookings is undesirable and a real slap in the face. It's a far worse predicament than being told the vaccine is unable. The constant changes in the rollout are creating more uncertainty than some people can manage.

Meanwhile practice social distancing, wear a mask, get tested if you have symptoms and stay home where practicable.

TOWN councils were set up to principally look after roads and rubbish. The councilors of Lake Macquarie have certainly achieved excellence in the rubbish department in my opinion in their voting to change the name of Coon Island against the majority wish of their rate payers ('Rescission motion for island', Herald 29/7). Perhaps the councilors should have started by renaming their council, named after a white colonial governor of a penal colony which I am sure upsets some activist groups.

Councilors are elected and paid to look after roads and waste management and they should leave the rubbish to people more adept in that discipline. This change has angered many people in the Lake Macquarie district and perhaps the councillors can begin the healing process by saying sorry and abiding by the majority wish of the community.

GRAEME Bennet (Letters, 31/7): yes, 56 per cent of respondents did not want to change the names of Coon Island and Coon Point. But that was before at alternative was put up. Apparently the council's preferred alternative for the name was Miners Point. I would like to see a vote of the name Coon Point versus Miners Point.

Personally the name Miners Point clearly has a correct historic connotation that honours not only the family that the existing reference was referring to, but honours all of the miners that used to live there. The original family the point was named after does want this name.

The existing name labels the whole of the council area racist, which will be a deterrent to people from outside the community visiting the area and spending their money at the local businesses. As a white male I don't want to be associated with racist terms, regardless of the fact it was not meant to be racist (subconscious racism).

The name Coon Point also does not tell the same story as the name Miners Point, not unless someone delves a bit deeper into the story. I welcome debating the issue further - and hopefully any debate can do better than just saying it should stay as Coon Point because it has "always" (a mere 150 or so years?) been called this name.

I FEEL like my vaccines cancellation is because some state cabinet member thinks they will lose their seat if school kids in their Sydney patch don't get to do the HSC ('Jab fury', Newcastle Herald 2/8). Votes for vaccines, in my opinion, and yet again the Hunter comes last. It's time regional NSW got independence from Sydney.

I COULDN'T agree more with Richard Ryan, (Short Takes, 31/7) the current Australian flag is a national embarrassment. A British Blue Ensign with a few stars tacked on is not the flag of an independent country. If it's good enough for other former British colonies to update their colonial era flags, then we surely can do the same. Canada, India and South Africa are just three countries which come to mind. Perhaps we need to start small when it comes to updating our national symbols, our state flags are even greater British colonial symbols. With their English crowns, heraldic lions and other British symbols they are more outdated than the national flag, and that's even before we get to government departments and agencies which fly essentially British colonial symbols. They're outdated, and they need changing. It's time.

I THOUGHT was wonderful to see any signs of increased cranial activity in the PM, except that it's on the outside of his head, where he suddenly seems more hirsute than before. Lockdown self-improvement?

THE problem for opinionated minority voices like Steve Barnett is that he believes he's part of a majority. Wrong, in my opinion. Refusing to vote is a vote for the status quo. So I'll be opting in, not out, as Mr Barnett advocates.

STEVE Barnett (Short Takes, 31/7) takes aim at Albanese for dropping the negative gearing policy Labor took onto the last federal election. I didn't see any support of that policy by Steve Barnett when it was being ridiculed by the government at that time. I'm pretty sure he was supporting the people who were doing the ridiculing.

THE good thing about plan A ... sorry, I meant a plan. I remember a boss of mine once saying never mind the planning, get it done. Well I never thought I'd see a PM with the same devotion to stupidity. Free toilet paper rolls to all vaccine participants, no doubt. I'm glad we are not at war.

AFTER the NRL games were postponed on Saturday, I was shuddering at the thought of Australia being run by an OzTag administration.

MATILDAS four, not so Great Britain three. Well done Matildas.

SHOULD Hunter vaccines have been sent to Sydney?