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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:
- Visit RACGP COVID-19 vaccination Quick Log.
- Log in to your account.
- 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:
- Click this Quick Log link.
- Log in to your account.
- 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