Mothers are turned away from vaccination appointments in Sydney's Covid hotspots for bringing their babies along - despite spending every other minute in close contact

Mothers have been turned away for vaccination appointments in Sydney's coronavirus hotspots for bringing their babies along.

Michaela Newman arrived at the Sydney Super Dome in Olympic Park for her first Pfizer shot on Friday and lined up with her six-month-old Brianna in her pram.

Slowly the lined progressed, but when she get to the entrance she was told by military personnel that prams were on allowed inside. 

When she queried this, a supervisor arrived and told her children, along with carers and support people, were banned from the facility.

'They said it was a risk mitigation thing, so the kids aren’t at risk of catching Covid in the event there were positive cases in the arena,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Michaela Newman arrived at the Sydney Super Dome in Olympic Park for her first Pfizer shot on Friday, but was turned away at the door

Six-month-old Brianna is pictured sitting in her pram in the vaccine line with her mum - before they were turned away

'They just kept saying "we don't want your baby to get Covid" but she's going to get it anyway if I do. It was such a waste of my time.

'To the credit of ADF and the staff, they totally saw my point and were really kind and felt bad about my situation.'

Ms Newman, who lives in Toongabbie in Sydney's west, is one of thousands of younger people eligible for a priority Covid vaccine as the state government desperately tries to stop the outbreak.

Australia bought a million new Pfizer doses from Poland, 535,000 of which are earmarked for younger workers in the 12 hardest hit local councils.

However, despite huge interest, people are struggling to get appointments, or get time off work to get vaccinated - particularly as many work in insecure jobs.

Australia bought a million new Pfizer doses from Poland, 535,000 of which are earmarked for younger workers in the 12 hardest hit local councils. Pictured is the line at Olympic Park

'My husband is working from home and doing Zoom calls all day so he can’t just up and leave his desk to come and supervise the baby,' Ms Newman said.

Arranging childcare is just another hurdle for families trying to protect themselves from coronavirus, with many centres closed and parents told to keep kids at home.

'My husband is working from home and doing Zoom calls all day so he can’t just up and leave his desk to come and supervise the baby,' Ms Newman said.

The mother-of-one said Brianna also needed to stay with her because she was breastfeeding, and the rules didn't make logical sense. 

'If the Delta variant is as contagious as they’re saying, if I were to catch it at Qudos, my baby would get it regardless?' she said.

'Whether she gets it at the arena or gets it from me when I get home and feed her, hold her, and bathe her... So I don’t get how it’s mitigating risk.'

Ms Newman, who lives in Toongabbie in Sydney's west, is one of thousands of younger people eligible for a priority Covid vaccine as the state government desperately tries to stop the outbreak

Ms Newman said Brianna also needed to stay with her because she was breastfeeding, and the rules didn't make logical sense.

Ms Newman said because the appointment wasn't actually carried out and wasn't cancelled, it took her all day to book another one for Monday.

'I'm really frustrated, from what I hear the vaccines expire and it’s such a waste. And I just want to be part of the change,' she said.

'We need to reach these targets to live normal lives again but they make it so difficult for us.'

Another western Sydney mother was also turned away at the door because she had her baby son with her.

'I had an appointment today, and after waiting in the sun for almost an hour I was refused entry as I had my 11-week-old with me alone,' she said.

'It was such a big deal to leave the house and I left the feeling rather defeated.

'Due to his age, I wouldn't think about nit taking him with me anywhere, after all I am the number one person who can meet all his needs at the moment.'

Ms Newman said because the appointment wasn't actually carried out and wasn't cancelled, it took her all day to book another one for Monday

Mothers said they were confused because the ban on children was buried in the fine print of email confirmations.

Another FAQ on the Sydney Local Health District website asked parents to avoid bringing children 'if possible', rather than implying an outright ban.

Sydney is days away from reaching its six million dose target, with plenty of time to spare before the August 28 deadline set by Premier Gladys Berejiklian. 

The premier all but promised to ease restrictions in areas with low cases and high vaccination rates, but a record 830 new infections on Sunday makes that seem increasingly unlikely.

The state is on track to hit 70 per cent vaccinated in October and 80 per cent a couple of weeks later, which is supposed to see the lockdown lifted.