The two local centres, along with another at Shellharbour hospital and a number of sites in southern NSW will be satellite locations attached to the Wollongong Hospital's new vaccination hub, which was officially launched on Monday (March 15).

Almost a year to the day Dr Niladri Ghosh treated the first patient with COVID-19 admitted to Wollongong Hospital, he became the first to receive the Pfizer jab at the hospital's new vaccination hub.

"It's a great milestone," the infectious diseases specialist said on Monday morning.

"We've started administering the vaccine to frontline healthcare workers, and it's good for them to get it close to home.

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"... It's a great feeling to be the first one to get the vaccine (at the hub). We've come a long way from when the pandemic started and it's good to see very few cases (statewide)."

March 15, 2020, was the date of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Illawarra Shoalhaven, in a returned traveller.

Several days later Dr Ghosh was working a weekend shift when the first COVID patient came into the hospital's emergency department.

"We'd been preparing for COVID patients around four to six weeks before we had a confirmed case, and we had all the infection-control measures in place," he said.

"The first patient came in on a weekend, and went straight to intensive care from emergency.

"At the time we were still learning about the virus, and while we're continuing to learn about it, we have come a long way since."

As of Monday morning, there's been 153 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) since testing began.

Almost 230,000 residents have been tested for the virus.

Wollongong Hospital is one of several vaccine hubs set up at hospitals across the state to administer the Pfizer vaccine.

Executive director of nursing and midwifery, Deborah Cameron, said opening the hub was an exciting milestone for the district.

"It was like getting the Crown jewels when the esky arrived with the vaccine," she said.

"... We're in the process of vaccinating category 1a and 1b workers - which includes frontline health workers, NSW ambulance workers and, because we are a port city, Port Kembla workers."

Around 4000 workers will receive the Pfizer jab at the hub in the next few weeks, with all ISLHD staff in phase 1a and 1b expected to be vaccinated by August.

Setting up the Wollongong hub had been a complex operation, Ms Cameron said, due to the ultra-cold storage requirements for the Pfizer vaccine and the training required.

"There's a strict timeline," she said. "Once thawed it is stable for five days, once mixed it needs to be delivered within six hours."

There's 12 vaccination stations within the hub, manned by 12 nurse immunisers; as well as a separate area for pharmacists to draw up the vaccines; and a dedicated observation area.

The flow is steady, with each worker able to register, receive their vaccine and undergo observation in around 45 minutes.

Ms Cameron said hundreds of ISLHD's most at-risk staff had already had the vaccine at Liverpool Hospital's hub - and the majority of those waiting were keen for their turn.

"There's such a level of want and confidence in the vaccine, that there's no talk of making it mandatory," she said.

"This is a change, this is an opportunity for us to influence the entire society so we can all get back to normality."

Wollongong Hospital security staff member David Nichols also received his first dose on Monday.

"I'm around a lot of different people every day and having the vaccine gives me extra assurance that I'm going to be keeping myself and others safe," he said.

Dr Ghosh said the rollout was an important step in stopping the transmission, and severity, of COVID-19.

"My message is please come forward and get two doses of the COVID vaccine when your time comes - it's important to keep you and your family safe," he said.

"If you have any questions speak to your doctor or local healthcare professionals."

Dr Ghosh said both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca had gone through rigorous processes to ensure their "quality, safety and efficacy".

"Hundreds of millions of people have had these vaccines," he said.

"Some people may have mild cases despite the vaccine, but there's good data to suggest they're very efficient in keeping people out of hospital, and intensive care."

ISLHD chief executive Margot Mains also welcomed the official opening of the new hub.

"There's an air of excitement, of turning a corner - it's absolutely fantastic," she said.

The story: Wollongong Hospital's vaccine hub officially opens to frontline staff first appeared in the Illawarra Mercury.