Immunisation weekly update – 15 September 2021

NSW School Vaccination Program

Students in secondary schools may have missed vaccines doses for the 2021 NSW School Vaccination Program due to COVID-19 stay-at-home rules in Greater Sydney. As part of the school vaccination program, Year 7 students receive 1 dose of Boostrix and 2 doses of Gardasil9, and Year 10 students receive 1 dose of Nimenrix.

The NSW Health School Vaccination Program wish to advise that students will be caught up on vaccines given at school when schools return to face-to-face learning in Term 4 2021 and into 2022.

Everyone aged over 12 is now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination

From 13 September 2021, everyone in Australia aged 12 and over can receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The Eligibility Checker, now called the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder, has been updated to allow this age group to book vaccinations at participating clinics.

Updated ATAGI Clinical guidance

The ATAGI Clinical guidance for COVID-19 Vaccine in Australia has been updated to version (v7.2) dated 9 September 2021.

Recent changes from previous versions include:

• Recommendation that ta second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine administered <14 days after the first dose is considered an invalid dose and an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose should be administered as a replacement dose
• People with a history of congenital heart disease, cardiac transplant or cardiomyopathy can receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine without any precautions
• Vaccination against COVID-19 is recommended for all individuals from 12 years of age
• Spikevax (Moderna), an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, is registered for use in people aged ≥12 years
• Updated summary information on adverse events following COVID-19 vaccines
• Updated summary information on effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine

Drive-Through Vaccination Clinics

General practices participating in the COVID-19 vaccination program can establish drive-through vaccination clinics.

Interested sites must log into COVID-19 Vaccine Administrative System (CVAS), select ‘Complete the Site Readiness and Declaration Form’, then select ‘Yes’ under ‘Are you a drive-through clinic?’, and sign the Drive-through Site Readiness Declaration in the (CVAS) prior to establishing the clinic.

See more information on drive-through vaccination clinics or off-site vaccination clinics.

COVID-19 vaccination in workplaces

Vaccination providers will be able to seek accreditation to administer COVID-19 vaccines at workplaces – similar to the way flu vaccines are administered – through the Request for Tender – Vaccine Administration Partners Program. Businesses will be able to team up with vaccination providers to administer COVID-19 vaccines to staff at their workplace.

The Vaccine Administration Partners Program will establish a panel of accredited COVID-19 vaccination providers that can be accessed by government entities, businesses and other organisations to support vaccination priorities.

Updated NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards

The NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards were updated on 8 September 2021. The recent changes include:

• Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine to individuals aged 12 years and over
• Spikevax (Moderna) vaccine to individuals aged 12 years and over
• A parent or guardian is now able to provide consent on behalf of an person in their care. 

COVID-19 Delta variant in schools and early childhood education

The COVID-19 Delta variant in schools and early childhood education and care services in NSW, Australia report provides the latest data from an ongoing study by NCIRS and the University of Sydney, in collaboration with NSW Health and the NSW Department of Education, that has been tracking COVID-19 transmission in educational settings since March 2020.

COVID-19 vaccine training

A reminder that all staff who will administer vaccines, including the supervising general practitioner, must complete the COVID-19 vaccine training, including all relevant vaccine specific modules, before commencing vaccinations. Please be aware there are regular updates to modules which must also be completed.

The training is mandatory for all authorised COVID-19 vaccination providers and is also available for non-clinical and administration staff. Non-clinical modules of the training include handling, storage and communication. 

Translated Resources 

• Department of Health – COVID-19 vaccination resources in other languages
• NSW Health – COVID-19 resource language list 

New and updated resources

• Frequently asked questions on exemptions to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in residential aged care (14 September): Information to assist providers on exemptions and exceptions to COVID-19 vaccination in residential aged care.
• Clinical use of Zoster vaccine in older adults in Australia (update 8 September): The ATAGI clinical statement provides recommendations for the Zoster vaccine and Shingrix vaccine.
• Factsheet for residential aged care providers on reporting COVID-19 vaccinations and exemptions (9 September): Information to assist residential aged care providers on reporting requirements for workforce COVID-19 vaccination and exemptions
• COVID-19 vaccination – ATAGI clinical guidance on COVID-19 vaccine in Australia in 2021 (updated 12 September): Clinical guidance for COVID-19 immunisation providers and program staff.
• COVID-19 vaccination – International students and COVID-19 vaccines (13 September): This poster explains that international students studying in Australia are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID-19 live stream update for GPs

Join the latest 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 16 September, 11:30am (AEDT) | Click link to join

Catch up on previous webinars 

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