Novovax COVID-19 vaccine to be rolled out from 21 February 2022
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has granted provisional approval for use of the Novovax COVID-19 vaccine (NUVAXOVID) for primary-course vaccination in people aged 18 years and over.
ATAGI subsequently released a statement on the use of Novovax, including recommendations that:
- it can be used for the primary course of COVID-19 vaccination in people aged 18 or older (including a third dose for people with severe immunocompromise)
- the schedule for administration is two doses a minimum of three weeks apart
- it can be administered to pregnant and breastfeeding people
- it can be administered after COVID-19 infection.
Primary Health Networks are reaching out to practices to gauge interest in administering Novovax. Expressions of interest from practices wanting delivery in the first window close at 5.00 pm (AEDT) on 26 January 2022. You can join at a later date if you determine there is a need in your area. If your practice is interested in administering the Novovax vaccine and you haven’t heard from your PHN, contact your PHN directly.
Approved practices will be able to place orders of up to 200 doses per fortnight from early February, and the vaccine will be available in the community from 21 February 2022.
The COVID-19 Vaccination Training Program modules are currently being updated, along with ATAGI’s clinical guidance for COVID-19 vaccine providers.
Booster eligibility period reduced to three months in most states and territories
The Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australian, Victorian and Queensland governments have announced they are fast-tracking access to booster doses. People can now receive their booster through state-run facilities three months after finishing their primary course of vaccination. This comes earlier than the federal shift to a three-month interval scheduled for 31 January 2021.
Following these announcements, the Department of Health (DoH) has confirmed that general practices that have stock and capacity can provide boosters after three months, ahead of the original schedule.
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.
The next tranche of reporting changes will provide visibility to patients who have only received one dose.
Interim guidance for close-contact workers in healthcare settings
The DoH has released interim guidance for permission and restrictions specific to workers in healthcare settings.
The guidance follows announcements that close-contact and furlough requirements would be amended for certain essential workers to help ease workforce pressures. It provides a process for healthcare settings to support safe decision-making when determining whether to place work permissions/restrictions on a worker after contact with a COVID-19 case, while still adhering to certain requirements.
The guidance should be applied in combination with any local requirements in your state/territory or as determined by your local Public Health Unit.
Two oral COVID-19 treatments provisionally approved by the TGA
The TGA has granted provisional approval to two oral COVID-19 treatments:
- PAXLOVID (nirmatrelvir + ritonavir) – Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd
- LAGEVRIO (molnupiravir) – Merck Sharp and Dohme (Australia) Pty Ltd
The medicines are approved for use in people aged 18 years and over who develop mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and do not require initiation of oxygen, but are deemed to be at increased risk of progression to hospitalisation or death.
Clinical guidance on priority groups and prescribing is currently in development and is expected in the coming days.
Read the newsGP article on these announcements.
Level C MBS phone consultation items
The DoH has temporarily reinstated Level C MBS phone consultation items for attendances lasting longer than 20 minutes until 30 June 2022. These services are now available nationally.
Read the fact sheet
The relevant item numbers are 92746 for GPs and 92747 for other medical practitioners. All Medicare-eligible patients can receive these services based on normal telehealth eligibility requirements and exemptions.
RACGP member access to point-of-care rapid antigen tests
To alleviate current access issues to rapid antigen tests (RATs), the RACGP is offering members the opportunity to pre-order point-of-care RATs in bulk, for dispatch from 1 February, via the RACGP Plus member benefits site.
You must order a minimum order of five boxes of 25 tests, which equates to $8.36 per test.
Use of point-of-care RATs is subject to requirements outlined by the TGA, and they may only be used by healthcare professionals.
Healthdirect ‘What to do if you have COVID-19' poster for practice waiting rooms
Healthdirect has released a poster you can display in your practice waiting room to build patient awareness about what to do and how to access 24/7 help and information if they test positive for COVID-19. The poster will soon be available in multiple languages.
The poster supports the recent launch of Healthdirect’s online tool (based on the RACGP’s COVID-19 patient guide) to tell COVID-19-positive patients what they should do while isolating at home and when to seek medical help.
Download the poster
You can also use specially developed Healthdirect social media assets across your social channels. They are available to download as a zip file.
Download the social media assets