The Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology (SNP) COVID testing site at Southern Cross University, 1 Military Road, East Lismore will be in operation today from 8am to 2pm. If you are feeling unwell in any way, sore throat, cough or have developed a fever go and get tested.

There is no need for a doctors referral and the NSW Health Directive form will be supplied on-site.

You are advised to stay in your car and stay in the drive-through testing line. You will be guided by an SNP staff member.

You will be required to supply your name, address, mobile number and Medicare card number.

You will be sent an SMS to each individual patient after testing is complete.

SNP also have a clinic at the East Lismore Shops plus the Lismore Base Hospital Fever Clinic will be in operation as well.

The state government is pushing for everyone to be vaccinated as soon as possible to reduce the risk of being admitted to hospital or death if you contract COVID-19.

Healthy North Coast told the Lismore App that supplies of Pfizer are increasing from 450 doses a week to 1,400 doses this week. The number of general practices delivering the Pfizer vaccine will increase by 71 across the North Coast region.

The Lismore App understands that supplies of the new Maderna vaccine have also reached the region for those 12-15-year-olds wanting to be vaccinated. More details to come on this in the coming days.

These changes are slowly increasing so please check the booking options every day as more supply and practices come online. There is no shortage of AstraZeneca in our region.

The latest statistics from NSW Health as of 12 September has the adult population (15+) of the Lismore LGA sitting on 62.6% for first dose vaccinations, while 34.4% of us are fully vaccinated. This compares with Ballina which has 73.2% of its adult population have received their first jab and 45.3% are fully vaccinated.

While it is a choice whether or not to be vaccinated, future freedoms revealed by the NSW State Government roadmap says the freedoms will apply to those people that are fully vaccinated.