Blessed Health Care clinic has been caught out, asking patients to pay up to $250 for a “vaccination consultation” on their first visit, while the second dose could set them back up to $120.A notice posted to the window of the clinics, which operate out of two sites in Campsie, said the vaccine itself was free but the consultation fee would leave people out of pocket.The clinic is charging patients despite the federal government declaring there is no cost associated with getting the vaccine.Cumberland councillor Kun Huang posted a message on Facebook, saying the desperation to get vaccinated, and apprehension around the AstraZeneca vaccine, has created a “black market for the Pfizer” vaccine.“This kind of behaviour is not unique, and I’m sure there are other places also have a similar problem,” he wrote.“We need the federal and state governments to step up their effort in securing more Pfizer vaccine for the community and also educate in community languages around the degree of risk for AstraZeneca vaccine.”Mr Huang is urging the government to offer compensation to those who have fallen victim to “unethical behaviour”.“We are all in this together, no one should be poorer for wanting to be safe,” Mr Huang said.The Department of Health and Blessed Health Care Clinic have been contacted for comment.Campsie is in the Canterbury-Bankstown local government area, one of the worst hit by Sydney’s latest Covid crisis.There are more than 400 infections in that local government area alone as the city continues to grapple with the latest outbreak.NSW recorded 177 new cases on Wednesday, with 90 from Sydney’s southwest local health district and 46 from western Sydney.A swath of venue alerts have been issued for Campsie, including a Woolworths supermarket and Chemist Warehouse.The spike in cases has forced the Berejiklian government to extend the lockdown for another four weeks.The NSW Premier told parents on Wednesday that at-home learning would continue for all but final year students.Doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be made available to year 12s in the eight LGAs of concern: Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown, Liverpool, Blacktown and Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River.Ms Berejiklian said students from those areas would be only be allowed to return to the classroom if they had taken up the vaccine offer. She said the state had not been given extra doses from any other state nor the federal government, so some jabs allocated to regional parts of NSW would be switched to Sydney.The state’s teachers’ union says it is “dumbfounded” by the decision to allow year 12 students back into the classroom from August 16 with the number of cases still skyrocketing.
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