Additional winter booster dose recommended for people at higher risk
To boost COVID-19 vaccine protection before winter, ATAGI has released recommendations that an additional booster dose (also referred to as a ‘winter booster dose’) of vaccine be given to those who are at greatest risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Those eligible to receive the additional booster dose include:
- people aged 65 years and older
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and older
- residents of aged care or disability care facilities
- people aged 16 years and older with severe immunocompromise (as defined in this ATAGI statement).
The additional winter booster dose can be given from four months after a person received their first booster dose or from four months after a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, if infection occurred after the person’s first COVID-19 booster dose.
The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines are the preferred vaccines for COVID-19 booster doses, including the additional winter booster dose. The AstraZeneca vaccine can be used when an mRNA vaccine is contraindicated or a person declines vaccination with an mRNA vaccine. The Novavax vaccine can be used if no other COVID-19 vaccine is considered suitable for that person.
The additional booster dose will be available from 4 April 2022, which coincides with the rollout of the 2022 influenza vaccination program. Some states/territories may make the doses available earlier.
All COVID-19 vaccines can be co-administered (given on the same day) with a flu vaccine. However, if a person is not yet eligible for their additional booster dose, the flu vaccine could be given ahead of the additional booster dose.
ATAGI has published a helpful diagram outlining which vaccines and doses are recommended for each age and population group.
Read the full recommendation
2022 National Immunisation Program influenza program update
Government-funded flu vaccines for the 2022 program will be available from 4 April 2022, subject to local supply arrangements in each state/territory.
The Department of Health has written to all GPs and vaccine providers with important information about flu vaccines available under the National Immunisation Program for the 2022 flu season.
In the letter, you are asked to consider opportunities to increase uptake of flu vaccines by co-administering with COVID-19 vaccines when appropriate.
Read the letter
The RACGP is developing posters and website assets to help you communicate the importance of flu vaccination to your patients. We will make these available in the coming weeks.
Providing a COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine during the same consultation
Although you are under no obligation to bulk bill patients receiving a flu vaccination, patients who receive a COVID-19 vaccination in 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 that 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
Getting ready for winter? The RACGP is inviting you and your team to complete our Vaccine Clinic Finder Connect (VCF Connect) in general practice education kit.
As the national rollout of VCF Connect continues, completing the education kit helps ensure patients can seamlessly connect with your practice to book their COVID-19 vaccinations and booster doses. The kit features on-demand webinars and education resources on the VCF and VCF Connect, along with online appointment-booking systems and real-time integration.
If your practice has not yet registered for VCF Connect, we encourage you to do so today. Note that from 31 March 2022, all updates to details on the VCF will happen through VCF Connect (including changes to contact details, vaccine types offered, etc.).
Access the kit
New poster for patients to easily access vaccine information
The Department of Health has published a quick-scan poster for you to display in your practice that gives patients easy access to vaccine information.
Download the poster
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 tixagevimab plus cilgavimab (Evusheld) and published updated flowcharts for managing patients with COVID-19 and drug treatments for COVID-19.
Access all living guidelines and flowcharts