Immunisation Weekly Update:

Shingrix® ordering will commence 30 Oct 2023

Providers can place orders for NIP Shingrix® vaccine via the NSW Vaccine Centre portal starting Monday, 30 October 2023. Given the expected high demand of Shingrix orders, delayed delivery timeframes are expected, and order quantities may be restricted.

If is recommend that providers:

• wait until their Shingrix® vaccine has been delivered before scheduling vaccination appointments;
• create a waitlist for interested patients wishing to book a vaccination appointment;
• determine any other recommended vaccinations that are required at time of appointment, such as Pneumococcal, COVID-19, dTpa (not funded).

For any queries or assistance, please contact the NSW Vaccine Centre on 1300 656 132.

HealthPathways provides health professionals in Central and South-eastern Sydney with access to up-to-date clinical information and resources to support assessment, management, and referral of their patients.

For more information visit the Immunisation in Adults pathway at HealthPathways South Eastern Sydney or HealthPathways Sydney.

If login details are required contact the teams at: SESLHD-HealthPathways@health.nsw.gov.au or slhd-healthPathways@health.nsw.gov.au

New education modules: AIR042A COVID-19 vaccination report

Education modules for the AIR042A COVID-19 Vaccination Report are now available for Health Professionals. This report provides the COVID-19 vaccination history for patients as recorded on the AIR and enables providers to actively follow up patients based on their vaccination history, including individuals who have not received any doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The report can be tailored by vaccine brand, dose, vaccination time frame and age, to suit the required purpose. Some useful AIR042A report outputs include:

• Patients aged 75+ years who have not had a COVID-19 vaccine in the last 6 months.
• Patients who have not had any COVID vaccinations.
• Patients due for a COVID vaccine dose/booster.

The AIR042A report eLearning module and Simulation video is now available on the Health Professional Education Resource webpage.

CESPHN can assist practices in accessing reports. Email immunisation@cesphn.com.au to book a one-on-one session. 

New COVID-19 reference documents

The COVID-19 vaccine training modules and the COVID-19 Vaccination Training Program (CVTP) learning platform concluded as of 1 October 2023. The Department has published two reference documents 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.

Vax at Home Service

The CESPHN Vax at Home Service is for those people who are housebound and not able to leave their house to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or booster. The service will accept referrals for people 16 years and over. Referrals will be accepted from GPs and from Local Health Districts. Patient self-referrals will not be accepted.

All referrals must be sent through this Vax at Home Service Online Form. Please also indicate if an influenza vaccine is also required. Please note, a referral will need to be attached to the online form. For further information on the program, please contact us.

2023 flu vaccine safety data

AusVaxSafety 2023 seasonal flu vaccine surveillance has concluded with no safety issues identified.

Over 215,000 individuals (or their parent/carer) who received a flu vaccine participated in the 2023 AusVaxSafety surveillance program. Data analysed over the surveillance period showed the rate of reported vaccine side effects was comparable to previous years, while medical attendance rates in the days following vaccination were low across all age groups.

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