COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 recommendations 2025

ATAGI advice regarding the administration of COVID-19 vaccines in 2025 is now available – summarised in the below table. For people who have never received a COVID-19 vaccine (a ‘primary course’), refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook for recommendations. COVID-19 vaccines remain funded for all recommended and eligible individuals, including those without a Medicare card.

Age group	Recommendation
All adults aged ≥75 years	Recommended a COVID-19 vaccine every 6 months.
Adults aged 65–74 years	Recommended a COVID-19 vaccine every 12 months and are eligible for a free COVID-19 vaccine every 6 months based on a benefit–risk assessment.
Adults aged 18-64 years with severe immunocompromise	Recommended a COVID-19 vaccine every 12 months and are eligible for a free COVID-19 vaccine every 6 months based on a benefit–risk assessment.
All other healthy adults	Eligible for a free COVID-19 vaccine every 12 months based on a benefit-risk assessment.
Children and adolescents aged 5 to18 years with severe immunocompromise	Eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine every 12 months, based on a benefit-risk assessment.

Refer to the Immunisation Handbook for further information.

Free SMS recall program for COVID-19 vaccination

Enrol your practice to participate in our new Quality Improvement Activity: COVID-19 vaccination recall program for adults aged 75 years and older.

This activity uses GoShare to send complimentary SMS reminders to patients aged 75+ who are due for a COVID-19 booster (over 6 months since their last dose).

The SMS reminds patients to call and book an appointment, and includes a link to information explaining why their age increases their risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

To learn more about the program, see COVID-19 recall – Program Brief. Use the QI activity recording template to document the activity.

1. LATEST RESOURCES

COVID-19 resources:

COVID-19 provider resources collection	Clinical guidance and other COVID-19 vaccine resources provided by ATAGI for immunisaion providers.
COVID-19 recommended doses	Flowchart outlines ATAGI recommended doses byage and risk factors.
COVID-19 comparison poster	Poster outlines key differences between each COVID-19 vaccine available in Australia.
VAE reporting form	This form is to help vaccine providers report a vaccine administration error (VAE) under the COVID-19 Vaccination Program.
CCB reporting form	This form is to help vaccine providers report a potential cold chain breach under the COVID-19 vaccination program.
COVID-19 handbook chapter	Chapter for COVID-19 in the Australian Immunisation Handbook was updated 27 Nov 2023 to include the new XBB.1.5 vaccine.
AIR042A COVID-19 report	eLearning module and Simulation video for Health Professionals on accessing the AIR042A COVID-19 vaccination report feature from AIR.
COVID-19 Vaccine Reference Guide	This guide contains information on storage, handling and administration of COVID-19 vaccines.
COVID-19 Vaccination Training Program (CVTP)	This document contains all 18 modules of the former CVTP and their associated resources. It is no longer mandatory to complete to participate in the National COVID-19 Vaccine Program.

Excess COVID-19 vaccines?

Complete COVID-19 Excess Vaccines form to notify PHN of excess COVID-19 available for transfer.

COVID-19 reference documents

Following the conclusion of the CVTP training platform, two reference documents are available to support providers :

The COVID-19 Vaccine Reference Guide – contains information on storage, handling and administration of COVID-19 vaccines.
The COVID-19 Vaccination Training Program (CVTP) contains all 18 modules of the former CVTP and their associated resources.

Infographic – MBS COVID-19 Vaccination attendance items

2. COLD CHAIN BREACH

COVID-19 Cold Chain Breach (CCB) Reporting Form

Submit an online Cold Chain Breach COVID-19 CCB reporting form
Email to the Vaccine Operations Centre (VOC) on COVID19VaccineOperationsCentre@Health.gov.au

Steps to follow for a potential Cold Chain Breach (CCB)

All vaccines involved in a potential CCB, either within the clinical setting or during transit, must be reported to the Vaccine Operations Centre (VOC) as soon as possible.

Place any affected vaccines in quarantine, secured within the appropriate cold chain storage requirements (2 to 8 DEGREE for refrigerated doses).
Mark stock as ‘Do not use, Do not discard’
Report the potential CCB to the VOC by emailing the completed Cold Chain Breach Reporting Form along with any temperature data to covid19vaccineoperationscentre@health.gov.au.
Wait for the outcome of the assessment and advice on whether the vaccines are safe to use.

Do not use or discard the vaccines until you have been advised to do so.

If you require assistance, the VOC can be contacted on 1800 318 208 during operating hours, 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday (AEST).

3. VACCINE ERROR

COVID-19 vaccine administration errors

ATAGI guidelines on the management of a range of possible vaccine administration errors, including when a replacement (repeat) dose is recommended.

Don’t forget to check – Poster

Advice on Vaccine Errors

Advice relating to patient:

- Open disclosure of the incident to the patient/parents of the patient.
- Inform patient of any expected side effects and possible remedies to help with side effects.
- Arrange follow up appointment for patient with GP – mainly as a health check, but also to maintaining the GP/patient relationship.
- Give the Patient/Parents HCCC contact details in case they want to report a complaint:
  - Email: hccc@hccc.nsw.gov.au
  - Telephone: 02 92197444 open 09:00am to 18:00pm Monday to Friday

Advice relating to practice:

- - Usual incident reporting process within the practice
  - Inform the practice Insurer
  - Review practice policies/process to avoid error in future
  - Send an error report to Vaccine Operations Centre (VOC)
    - Phone: 1800 318 208
    - Email: COVID19VaccineOperationsCentre@Health.gov.au

Clinical advice:

Send patient to ED if patient clinical unwell

- Call NSWISS (Specialist Immunisation Clinic) if clinical advice re patient symptoms is required
  - Email: SCHN-NSWISS@health.nsw.gov.au
  - Phone: 1800679477 or 98451414
- Report AEFI if patients has symptoms – download the AEFI TGA Reporting Form
- For accidental overdose see below.

Accidental overdose

If an accidental overdose occurs, it is recommended to observe vital signs and, if symptomatic, to treat the symptoms. There are no specific overdose symptoms to be aware of.
Follow the above Advice on Vaccine Errors – This error must be recorded through your normal jurisdictional medication error reporting systems.
For more information, the Poisons Information Centre may be contacted on 131 126.

Revaccination following vaccine error

If an error has occurred during vaccine preparation or vaccine administration, resulting in an inadequate two-dose primary course, another dose may be recommended. The aim of replacement doses is to attain a level of immune response that is comparable to that expected following completion of a two-dose primary course of a COVID-19 vaccine according to the recommended dosage and schedule (ATAGI, 2021u).

4. DISPOSAL OF VACCINES

What is vaccine wastage?

Vaccine wastage refers to the loss of vaccine doses due to cold chain breaches, expired vials or other damage.

How do you dispose of COVID-19 vaccines?

The COVID-19 Vaccination Training gives details on how to dispose of vaccines:

Prior to disposal, the outer packaging (carton) should be defaced by striking through at least one panel of the carton with a sharpie or similar marker.
Any unused vaccine or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements in a clinical waste bin – vials must be disposed of in the provided sharps container to ensure they cannot be accessed.

Reporting requirements for vaccine wastage:

Remember to notify wastage to the Vaccine Operations Centre (VOC) through the COVID-19 Vaccine Administrative System (CVAS):

wastage less than 5 vials should be reported in your “Vaccine Stock Management Report”
wastage of 5 vias and over should also be reported within the “Wastage Report”
wastage “incidents” (e.g. damaged vials or breach of cold chain requirements), of 5 vials and over must be reported immediately (within 2 hours of the incident occurring) by calling the VOC on 1800 318 208

Shelf life extension

Pfizer 12+ shelf-life extension – some batches of Pfizer with manufacturer expiry 28 Feb 2022 have had their shelf life extended. Check information sheet before discarding vials.

5. HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Advice for COVID-19 vaccine providers and administrators

Information for providers about vaccine storage and handling requirements, how to manage bookings, what you can and can’t charge for, and resources to give to patients.

COVID-19 vaccine administration errors

ATAGI guidelines on the management of a range of possible vaccine administration errors, including when a replacement (repeat) dose is recommended. Sedation for vaccination

ATAGI advice on use of sedation for COVID-19 vaccination provides an overview of the use of sedation as one of a range of measures to assist in the safe administration of COVID-19 vaccines, in patients with anxiety disorders or needle-phobia.

COVID-19 advice for the health sector

Find information and advice on COVID-19 for the health and disability sector.

Disability sector

Information and resources for disability service providers and workers regarding COVID-19 vaccinations.

Appointment Translation

The NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service’s online Appointment Reminder Translation Tool allows you to translate appointment details into your client’s language.

COVID-19 care in the community

Please refer to HealthPathways for the current definitions of low, medium and high risk. These definitions will be frequently updated and will differ between the two LHDs

Transfer of vaccines

Transfer of COVID-19 vaccines between participating primary care vaccination sites
Too much COVID-19 vaccine stock? Can’t use up vaccines before defrost expiry? Complete COVID-19 Excess Vaccines form to notify PHN of excess COVID-19 available for transfer.
Need more COVID-19 vaccine stock? Delivery delays? Not enough supply? Email immunisation@cesphn.com.au for assistance with accessing emergency vaccine supplies.

COVID-19 vaccine brand that is not available in Australia

International COVID-19 vaccines recognised by Australia

ATAGI advice People who have received either a first dose or a full course of a COVID-19 vaccine that is not TGA-approved or TGA-recognised should be offered two doses of an alternative TGA-approved vaccine brand available in Australia to be considered fully vaccinated. People should begin their full course of a TGA-approved or recognised COVID-19 vaccination at an interval of 4 to 12 weeks after their most recent COVID-19 vaccine dose.

ATAGI

Clinical Guidance:
ATAGI clinical guidance on COVID-19 vaccine providers

Multi-dose vials:
ATAGI guidance on the use of multi-dose vials for COVID-19 vaccination
Invalid Doses:
ATAGI guidance on replacement doses for invalid primary courses of COVID-19 vaccines

Medical Exemptions:
ATAGI guidance on temporary medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines

Third Dose: for severely immunocompromised
ATAGI recommendations on the use of a third primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Additional Doses:
ATAGI statement about the need for additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine

Drive-through clinics:
ATAGI statement on drive-through COVID-19 vaccination clinic sites
ATAGI clinical advice resources

HealthPathways

For patients living in SLHD: Sydney HealthPathways- COVID-19 case management full care
For patients living in SESLHD: South Eastern Sydney HealthPathways- COVID-19 case management full care

Mixed (heterologous) schedules

ATAGI recommends completing the vaccination course with the same vaccine. Mixed schedules using 2 different vaccines to complete the primary vaccination course are only recommended in special circumstances See page 17 – ATAGI Clinical Guidance

Consent

As of October 2024, DoH has archived the COVID-19 vaccination consent forms developed during the commencement of the national COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Further information about consent can be found in the Australian Immunisation Handbook.

6. VACCINE ORDERING – CVAS

CVAS Order Management | User guide

CVAS User Guide for COVID-19 vaccination sites – Dept of Health
- How to register as a vaccination site – please email COVID19VaccineOperationsCentre@Health.gov.au to register as a COVID vaccination site or call 1800 318 208.
- How to submit a delivery acceptance
- How to submit a stock management report
- How to submit a wastage report

Update vaccine access in CVAS

Practices can submit a request to access to more vaccine products within CVAS. Check current access via the ‘View Existing Vaccine Access’ button which lists a summary of all vaccine products the site is currently approved to order.

How to submit a request to update vaccine access:

log into the CVAS portal,
navigate to the ‘Manage Account’ tab and
click the ‘Update Vaccine Access’ button and follow the prompts.

7. TRANSLATED COVID-19 RESOURCES

Multicultural communication materials

Translated resources

COVID-19 vaccines: common questions (other languages)
COVID-19 information in your language – Department of Health
Further information for multicultural groups on our Coronavirus page

COVID-19 vaccination resources in other languages – Department of Health
COVID-19 resource language list – NSW Health
COVID-19 Glossary in language – NSW Health Multicultural Health Communications Service

Supporting communication for the COVID-19 vaccination program – This glossary was developed to help community organisations, translators and interpreters, bilingual workers, and community leaders to better understand and communicate about vaccine development and implementation.

COVID-19 communication materials

Information for teens/kids

Guidance to help people make informed decisions

Information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

COVID-19 vaccination – Common questions (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)
Talking to patients about COVID-19 vaccines (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

8. MEDICAL EXEMPTIONS

Medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines

ATAGI Guidance on temporary medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines
DOH Immunisation medical exemptions

Record directly on AIR: Record an immunisation exemption on the AIR – valid immunisation medical exemptions recorded on the AIR will appear on a patient’s AIR Immunisation History Statement.

Submit a form to AIR: AIR immunisation medical exemption form (IM011) – all COVID-19 brands must be selected on the form, it may take a few weeks to appear on a patient’s AIR Immunisation History Statement

Who can provide immunisation medical exemptions? General practitioners, paediatricians, clinical immunologists, infectious disease, general or public health physicians, gynaecologists or obstetricians.

9. VACCINE HESITANCY

Addressing vaccine hesitancy

Tool to address vaccine concerns: CoRiCal

Covid Risk Calculator (CoRiCal)

What is my chance of getting COVID-19?
If I get COVID-19, what are my chances of dying?
What is my chance of getting myocarditis?
What is my chance of dying from myocarditis?

Understanding and addressing vaccine hesitancy

Webinar: Vaccine hesitancy and practice efficiencies – RACGP
Decision aid: Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine? – NCIRS
Barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance – NCIRS

Resources to address vaccine hesitancy

Is it true? Your questions answered – Department of Health
COVID-19 vaccine safety surveillance – AusVaxSafety

Communication tools to address vaccine hesitancy

A practitioner’s guide to the principles of COVID-19 vaccine communications – University of Florida
Clinical communication skills and strategies to assist immunisation consultations – SKAI e-learning
Talking to parents about the COVID vaccine – NPS podcast
Why telling stories could be more powerful than just the facts – The Conversation article
COVID-19 vaccines and their long-term safety – Australian Academy of Science

Hesitancy

10. INFECTION CONTROL

COVID-19 exposure

NSW Health is currently responding to a number of COVID-19 outbreaks all across NSW. Healthcare workers are at high risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Health Care Worker COVID-19 Risk Assessment Matrix
- Vaccinated staff
- Unvaccinated staff

Community and workplace settings: Contact risk assessment will enable businesses to assess workplace risk if a COVID-19 case is identified, and confirm actions to be taken