COVID-19 vaccinations through general practice
As of 4 December 2021, 39,633,360 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Australia, 20,026,151 of which were administered through general practice, equating to 51% of all vaccines administered.
RACGP advocacy
The RACGP is continuing to advocate for general practice access to PPE. This is in the context of living in, or moving towards, ‘COVID normal’ and of practices potentially taking on the care of COVID-positive patients in the community.
When you need to see COVID-positive patients in person, we’re insisting access to full PPE kits with ALL essential items to safely provide care must be made available, as PPE is not just about surgical masks.
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine provisionally approved for children aged 5–11 years
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has provisionally approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5–11 years.
Following the TGA’s announcement, the Federal Government confirmed the paediatric rollout will commence from 10 January 2022. Information for the public on how to book will be available once ATAGI provides final recommendations on vaccination of this age group.
The dose given to this age group is one-third of the dose approved for use in people aged 12 years and over and will be provided in different packaging. Paediatric vials will have an orange cap. Two doses should be administered three weeks apart.
The COVID-19 Vaccination Training Program modules are being updated to include vaccination information for this age group.
We’ll provide more information via this bulletin and the RACGP’s COVID-19 vaccine information for GPs webpage.
Omicron variant vaccine boosters
ATAGI has released a statement following the emergence of the Omicron variant noting that ‘at this stage, there is no evidence to suggest that earlier booster doses of current COVID-19 vaccines will augment protection against the Omicron variant'.
You can also read the recent newsGP article ‘Alert but not alarmed’: What GPs need to know about Omicron.
New patient resource: How can I get proof of my COVID-19 vaccinations?
Most Australian residents will be able to get proof of vaccination against COVID-19 themselves, without assistance from their GP or practice staff. However, time-poor practices have recently seen an influx of patients requesting their assistance.
In response, the RACGP has developed ‘How can I get proof of my COVID-19 vaccinations?’, a printable patient information sheet explaining how proof of vaccination can be acquired, depending on the patient’s situation.
The information sheet contains guidance for those who:
- have a Medicare online account
- have a Medicare card number, but not a Medicare online account
- are not eligible for Medicare
- do not have access to the internet or a smartphone
- are seeking proof of vaccination on behalf of their child.
Access the information sheet
New vaccine communication resources
The Department of Health has released new Easy Read resources on vaccine boosters and third doses for immunocompromised people.
It has also released new in-language COVID-19 vaccine information kits. The kits include resources with key information on COVID-19 vaccines, including:
- updates to the vaccine rollout
- booster doses and third doses for immunocompromised people
- information on pregnancy and COVID-19 vaccines
- videos featuring community members explaining the importance of getting vaccinated
- videos featuring doctors answering questions about COVID-19 vaccines.
Download here: Arabic kit, Assyrian kit, Chaldean kit, Simplified Chinese kit
Vaccine Clinic Finder Connect education kit
To ensure patients can connect with your practice to get their COVID-19 vaccinations, the RACGP has been working closely with the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder provider, Healthdirect Australia, to improve the service. We’re aiming to make it easier for patients to find their preferred vaccination clinic and book an appointment online while ensuring a seamless system that better aligns with the needs of general practices.
In the coming weeks, we’ll launch an online education kit on the Vaccine Clinic Finder Connect program, detailing how you can keep your practice and vaccine clinic details up to date in real time. We’ll communicate updates on this project as soon as they’re available.