COVID Bulletin - 14 September 2021

COVID-19 vaccinations in Victoria

• More than 66% of Victorians aged 16 and above have had their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 40% are fully vaccinated.
• A total of 49,037‌ test results were processed on 12 September 2021. Around 85% of all active cases in Victoria are in people under the age of 50.The Victorian Department of Health website has full details in its interactive daily report.
• More than 1100‌ exposure sites remain, mainly across Melbourne. These sites are published at Case alerts – public exposure sites.
• A vaccination blitz is underway for Melbourne’s western and northern suburbs.
• You can find the latest COVIDSafe Settings on the Victorian Department of Health website.

Updates on state COVID-19 vaccination centres

• COVID-19 Vaccination Program Special Bulletin (12 September) for vaccine providers:
  • Expansion of eligibility to include young people aged 12–15 years, including consent requirements and information to for immunisers providing vaccines to young people
  • Increase in Pfizer doses for areas most affected by COVID-19 outbreaks for vaccination centres
  • Reminder that neither a Medicare card nor Individual Healthcare Identifier is required to get vaccinated at a state vaccination centre
  • Changes to who can access reserved Pfizer appointments in state-run vaccination centres, including pregnant people, household contacts of healthcare workers and residential aged care workers
  • Information on redistribution of COVID-19 vaccine stock to vaccination centres
  • Launch of a new patient survey at vaccination centres
  • Information about a new hotline to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians to get vaccinated
  • Information about when people who have had COVID-19 should get vaccinated
  • Updated eligibility guidance and evidence of eligibility

Webinar recording: VIC COVID-19 update

Watch the COVID-19 update webinar recorded on 18 August 2021.

• Webinar slide pack: COVID-19 vaccination program update

These bulletins contain the latest updates on COVID-19 and the national rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Australia.

These updates are current as at Tuesday 14 September 2021.

The RACGP’s COVID-19 vaccine information for GPs and COVID-19 information for GPs webpages are updated as new information becomes available.

Subscribe to receive the Department of Health’s regular COVID-19 vaccines update.

Children/adolescents aged 12–15 now eligible for Pfizer vaccination

Children/adolescents aged 12–15 years are now eligible for vaccination with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

This means that everyone in Australia aged 12 years and older can now receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

 

Recording vaccination details in the Australian Immunisation Register for Medicare-ineligible patients

The Victorian Refugee Health Network, together with EACH, has developed a step-by-step guide to help you manually upload vaccine details to the Australian Immunisation Register for patients who are not eligible for Medicare.

Doing this will enable Medicare-ineligible people to access their proof-of-vaccination certificate.
 

National Coronavirus Helpline: In-language assistance

Culturally and linguistically diverse patients can now access in-language information on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination and vaccination appointment through the National Coronavirus Helpline.

The service is supported by Translating and Interpreting Services (TIS) National, whose interpreters speak 150 languages. In-language resources can be sent to callers after the call.

To access this service, people should contact TIS National on 131 450 and ask to be connected to the National Coronavirus Helpline.
 

COVID-19 vaccine safety surveillance

You can find the latest COVID-19 vaccine weekly safety report (with data on adverse events following immunisation up to 2 September 2021) on the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) website.

The report addresses reporting of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia, immune thrombocytopenia and Guillain-Barre Syndrome after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, and myocarditis and pericarditis after receiving the Pfizer vaccine.
 

Supporting adult patients with mild COVID-19 in their home

In 2020, the RACGP developed Home-care guidelines for adult patients with mild COVID-19 to help you provide home-based care in a private residential home (including public or community housing) for your adult patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.

A guide for patients is also available. You can share the Managing mild COVID-19 at home with assistance from your GP guide with your patients who are at home with COVID-19, and complete and discuss the action plan with them. Ask them to fill out the daily symptom diary to help them identify improvements in or worsening of their symptoms to help you determine if their management plan needs to be updated.

You can access these and other COVID-19 resources on the RACGP website.
 

New restrictions on prescribing oral ivermectin

New restrictions on the prescribing of oral ivermectin are now in place following TGA concerns about the medicine being prescribed for prevention or treatment of COVID-19.

GPs are now only able to prescribe ivermectin for TGA-approved indications, such as scabies and certain parasitic infections.

Ivermectin is not approved for the treatment of COVID-19, and the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce has issued a strong recommendation against the its use outside of randomised trials. Read the frequently asked questions on the taskforce’s recommendation.

   Read more on newsGP   

COVID-19 Vaccination Training Program: Claiming CPD points

We remind GPs who have completed the COVID-19 Vaccination Training program that you are eligible for 10 CPD activity points.

We have made the process of claiming these points simple:

1. Visit RACGP COVID-19 vaccination Quick Log.
2. Log in to your account.
3. Complete the pre-filled Quick Log form by clicking ‘submit’ and the points will be automatically recorded in your myCPD.

If you have already claimed points for the initial training and have since reviewed updates or completed additional training, you are eligible for additional points.

To claim these points:

1. Click this Quick Log link.
2. Log in to your account.
3. Complete the form with your hours and activity details, click ‘submit’ and the points will be automatically recorded in your myCPD.

If you have any questions, email cpd.national@racgp.org.au