New resource: Oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19
Pre-placement of the new COVID-19 antiviral medicines Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir) and Lagevrio (molnupiravir) has begun in high-priority settings for the treatment of COVID-19 in eligible patients.
Initially, supply is limited to state/territory health departments, residential aged care facilities (RACFs), and Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Organisations (ACCHOs). The Federal Government has allocated Lagevrio for pre-placement in all RACFs across Australia. States/territories and ACCHOs will receive both Paxlovid and Lagevrio.
You may be asked to prescribe these medicines for your eligible patients in these settings, so to support safe and appropriate prescribing, the RACGP has developed a factsheet for GPs.
Read the factsheet
COVID-19 taskforce updates
The National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce (of which the RACGP is a member) has released new recommendations for the use of remdesivir in adults with mild COVID-19 and two new recommendations on the use of Lagevrio and Paxlovid in children and adolescents:
- Do not routinely use molnupiravir [Lagevrio] for the treatment of COVID-19 in children and adolescents.
- Do not use nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir [Paxlovid] in children and adolescents outside of randomised trials with appropriate ethical approval.
The taskforce has also released a new summary flowchart for all disease-modifying treatment recommendations for children and adolescents and an updated the flowchart for disease-modifying treatments for adults with COVID-19.
Access all living guidelines and flowcharts
Ordering PPE and pulse oximeters
To streamline distribution of PPE to general practices, a national distributor has been engaged to deliver supplies direct to practices rather than via Primary Health Networks (PHNs). The new process will allow you to track your order once approved.
Your PHN will provide you with a new general practice ‘PPE and pulse oximeter order form’ and will be your point of contact for submitting orders.
The Department of Health (DoH) has published information on the new process, which also outlines the eligibility criteria for accessing the different PPE bundles and pulse oximeters.
Communication materials for culturally and linguistically diverse communities
The DoH has released an updated stakeholder pack to help you communicate and share COVID-19 vaccine information with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
The pack contains in-language communications resources – videos, audio files, posters, factsheets and social media assets – on:
- COVID-19 vaccine booster doses
- COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5–11
- getting tested for COVID-19 and what to do if you test positive
- living with COVID-19 and how to care for yourself and others.
Access the pack
Novavax rollout officially begins
The rollout of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine officially began on 21 February 2022, with 1690 primary care sites administering the vaccine this week and an additional 572 to start the following week.
A standing expression of interest is open to all general practices that wish to administer Novavax (and other COVID-19 vaccines). Contact your PHN for more details.
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine provisionally approved for children aged 6–11 years
The TGA has provisionally approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6–11 years. ATAGI is still to provide final recommendations on use of the Moderna vaccine in this age group.
The dose for this age group is 0.25mL (50mcg) (compared to 0.5mL for people aged 12 years and older), with two doses to be administered 28 days apart.
Providing a COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine during the same consultation
ATAGI has advised it is no longer necessary to wait two weeks between a COVID-19 vaccination and an influenza vaccination; you can provide these services during the same consultation.
Although you are under no obligation to bulk bill a patient receiving a flu vaccination, a patient who also receives a COVID-19 vaccination during the same appointment must be bulk billed for the MBS COVID-19 vaccine suitability assessment component.
If another attendance is provided on the same day as the vaccine suitability assessment service, which is separate and/or unrelated to the vaccine service, the patient’s invoice/account or Medicare claim should be annotated (‘additional service [MBS item] is clinically relevant but not related to the vaccine suitability assessment service [MBS item]’) to help with the assessment of the claim.
For more information on the MBS COVID-19 vaccine suitability assessment items, visit MBS Online.
Vaccine Clinic Finder Connect: Second on-demand webinar now live
The RACGP’s COVID vaccine booking program education series has released a new webinar recording with fresh updates to help you use the Vaccine Clinic Finder Connect. 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.
This resource is part of an education kit that you and your team can work through as a self-directed learning activity to familiarise yourselves with:
- the Vaccine Clinic Finder (VCF) and its role in improving access to COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses
- the VCF patient journey
- integrating online appointment booking systems
- updating your practice’s VCF information in real time with Vaccine Clinic Finder Connect.
Watch the webinar