Immunisation Weekly Update:

New ATAGI guidance: Additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine in 2023

In February 2023, ATAGI issued recommendations regarding a 2023 booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

On 1 September 2023, ATAGI released further recommendations which provide guidance on who should receive or consider receiving an additional 2023 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Recommend an additional 2023 dose for:

• all adults aged 75 years and over if 6 months has passed since last dose.

Consider an additional 2023 dose for the following groups after discussion with a healthcare provider, if 6 months have passed since their last dose:

• All adults aged 65 to 74 years
• At risk adults aged 18 to 64 years with severe immunocompromise.

Within the groups considering an additional 2023 dose, this additional dose is likely to be of most benefit for people who:

• have no known history of SARS-CoV-2 infection,
• have medical comorbidities that increase their risk of severe COVID-19, or disability with significant or complex health needs, or
• reside in a residential aged care facility.

ATAGI continues to encourage all adults who were recommended to have a COVID-19 vaccine dose in February 2023, and who have not yet had one, to receive a vaccine dose as soon as possible.

Future recommendations for additional COVID-19 vaccine doses will be informed by ongoing surveillance of COVID-19 infection rates and clinical outcomes, new variants, and vaccine availability and effectiveness.

Common questions about Vaxelis® and Infanrix hexa®

NCIRS has developed a new FAQ resource to answer common questions about Vaxelis® and Infanrix hexa®.

Vaxelis® was added to the National Immunisation Program (NIP) on 1 July 2023 as an alternative to Infanrix hexa®, for use in children at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. Order copies of the latest NSW Immunisation Schedule by emailing immunisation@cesphn.com.au

2023 Immunisation coverage data

The Department of Health and Aged care has published the latest immunisation coverage data:

• 2023 PHN Childhood immunisation coverage data – These spreadsheets provide quarterly data on childhood immunisation coverage data by Primary Health Network (PHN), for all children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
• 2023 NSW childhood immunisation coverage data by SA3 – These spreadsheets provide immunisation coverage data by Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3) for New South Wales.

Congratulations to the Marrickville-Sydenham-Petersham SA3 for achieving the highest coverage rate (97.56%) in NSW for the 1 year old age cohort. Data for the Central and Eastern Sydney PHN region can be found on the Immunisation webpage.

To improve childhood immunisation coverage rates at your practice, register to receive your monthly overdue report.

Webinar recording: How to manage AIR overdue report

Watch webinar recording for an in-depth look at Childhood Immunisation Overdue Reports and learn the tips and tricks to reduce the number of children on your practice’s report.

Register your practice to receive a monthly overdue report by completing Request Form.

Webinar: Vaccination for people with disability

This NCIRS webinar we will explore gaps, opportunities and advice relating to vaccinating people with disability, including important tips and present effective strategies for vaccinating people with disability in your clinic.

• About: vaccination service gaps for people with disability, ways to support vaccination of patients with complex needs, and new NCIRS resources to support healthcare providers in vaccination.
• When: Friday 22 September 2023 | 12:00pm – 1:15 pm
• Register