22 September 2021
Over the past two weeks to 19 September 2021 there have been 4220 locally acquired cases in the CESPHN region, a 10% increase over the previous period. The largest concentrations are in the following Local Government Areas (LGAs) Canterbury-Bankstown (1038), Sydney (824), Randwick (543), Bayside (447) Georges River (402), Inner West (245), Sutherland (197), Strathfield (178), and Canada Bay (115).
Click here for all the latest information relating to the NSW outbreak including case locations and alerts.
COVID-19 testing locations
See here for information on the latest testing locations.
Please remember to refer your patients to a GP respiratory clinic if they need a respiratory assessment. You can find contact details here.
Within the region 79% of the population aged 15 and over have received one vaccine dose and 53% are fully vaccinated. 21% of the population remain unvaccinated. The number of vaccinations administered last week decreased by 6% from the previous week. Vaccination uptake is lowest in Randwick and Sydney LGAs. You can view vaccination uptake by postcode and local government area here.
You can find vaccination options via the Vaccine Eligibility Checker.
SESLHD has vaccination clinics open this week for vulnerable communities. Priority for the Pfizer vaccine will be given to vulnerable people under 60 who live in social housing, or are experiencing homelessness, or who are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander or who have disability or significant health problems. AstraZeneca is available for anyone 18 years and over. No Medicare card or booking is required.
Bookings are also available for people from vulnerable groups at two new Aspen Medical vaccination clinics:
Sydney LHD has three Pfizer vaccination clinics open this week:
Click here for more information on further SLHD vaccination clinics.
Belmore GPRC has a drive-through vaccination clinic open 9am – 5pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Belmore Sports Ground, 3 Edison Lane, Belmore until 29 October. Book here
We are aware that some people in our community may not be able to access a GP or vaccination hub to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. As a result CESPHN in partnership had developed the Vax at Home program.
The CESPHN Vax at Home Program is ONLY for those people who are housebound and not able to leave their house to receive a COViD-19 vaccination (their carers will also be able to be vaccinated). The Program is ONLY being offered across Sydney Local Health District and South Eastern Local Health District.
Referrals should include:
This service is now operational and accepting referrals (please note there might be some delays as we respond to demand).
A range of resources have been developed to support COVID-19 vaccination in young adolescents. These resources include key COVID-19 vaccine information for adolescents and parents or carers, tips for speaking to children before and after they receive a vaccine, and information on consent for parents and guardians:
If your practice requires additional AstraZeneca doses, please email coronavirus@cesphn.com.au. Some practices have an oversupply and we will ensure these additional doses reach those practices that need it.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) packages including surgical and N95/P2 masks, face shields, gloves, gowns and goggles and face shields will be made available forcommunity pharmacies and those GPs who continue to see their patients within their practices. PPE guidelines can be found here.CESPHN will continue to distribute these supplies.To order PPE for your practice or pharmacyclick here.
CESPHN is pleased to offer general practices and community pharmacies the opportunity to have a specialised one-on-one consultation session with an experienced primary care infection control educator. This consult will enable your practice/pharmacy to:
Sessions will be via ‘Zoom’ and will be up to 50 minutes in duration and can be recorded for later use. The aim of these sessions is to support practices and community pharmacies to ensure they have the strongest infection procedures in place, and provide tips for improvement where needed. If you would like more information or would like to book a consultation, please email your interest to coronavirus@cesphn.com.au and in the subject line write: “Yes I would like infection control advice”
We are maintaining a register of GPs, pharmacists, nurses and other allied health professionals who are available to work shifts in COVID vaccination clinics. Please complete this form if you are interested. Thank you to all those of you have already registered.
Join the latest Australian Government COVID-19 vaccine live stream update for GPs. The panel will provide latest key updates and answer participants’ questions live about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Get involved by submitting questions and comments!
Details: Thursday 23 September, 11:30am (AEDT) | Click link to join
Catch up on previous webinars
RACGP NSW are hosting a webinar on Medico-legal issues and the current COVID-19 vaccine program
Details: Tuesday 28 September, 7.00-8.00pm
Register here: https://racgp.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kS_drwIQS2OSI0Vdvnug6Q
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