Transfer of COVID-19 vaccines between participating primary care vaccination sites
The Department of Health has released guidance on the transfer of COVID-19 vaccines between sites. The guidance addresses:
- who can receive transferred vaccines
- whether approval must be sought to transfer
- how to record a transfer
- how the vaccines should be transported
- what to do with vaccines if you are no longer participating in the vaccine program
- how to manage expired vaccines
Access the guidance
Australian Immunisation Register patient reports for practices
Practices can now extract updated reports from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), giving greater visibility of patients' vaccination status, and therefore improving the follow-up process.
You can now download a report by practice (rather than by practitioner) showing patients who have yet to receive any doses of COVID-19 vaccines or who are now eligible, due or overdue for a booster dose.
Australian Immunisation Register reporting for children aged 5–11 years
Reporting a Pfizer vaccination for children aged 5–11 years in the Australian Immunisation Register is the same as for all other age cohorts.
When completing the report, use the vaccine code COMIRN.
Make sure to use the latest version of your clinical software to make sure it meets reporting requirements.
RACGP education kit: COVID Vaccine Booking Program
The RACGP Practice Essentials education kit: COVID Vaccine Booking Program will guide you and your practice team members on using the Vaccine Clinic Finder Connect.
Integrating your practice’s online vaccine appointments and practice details with the Vaccine Clinic Finder (VCF) in real time ensures patients can connect with your practice to get their COVID-19 vaccinations and booster doses. The VCF is a national online system for patients to find and book vaccination appointments. VCF Connect is a secure, authenticated online portal that allows practice owners and managers to update your practice’s COVID-19 vaccination services information online.
The RACGP education kit covers:
- understanding the VCF and its role in improving access to COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses
- knowing the VCF patient journey
- integrating online booking systems
- keeping your VCF information updated with VCF Connect
A new webinar recording with fresh updates to help you use the Vaccine Clinic Finder Connect is now live. The on-demand webinar is your key to ensuring patients can seamlessly connect with your practice to book their COVID-19 vaccinations, including booster doses – Watch the webinar
Ongoing expression of interest in participating in the vaccine rollout in general practice
A standing expression of interest is open for new general practices interested in joining the COVID-19 vaccination program. To be eligible to join the program, your practice must either be:
OR
If you want to join the program at any stage, contact your local Primary Health Network.
COVID-19 vaccination training program
As part of the rollout, authorised vaccine providers need to complete mandatory
COVID-19 vaccination training. Participants are notified by email when updates are made and are expected to log on and review the changes.
If you are experiencing technical issues with the training modules, please use the chat function (Available Monday - Friday, 8.00 am - 6.00 pm (AEST)) or contact
COVID19VaccinationTraining@Health.gov.au