Immunisation weekly update – 16 March 2022

CESPHN’s annual Immunisation update 2022

Next Tuesday 22 March at 7pm

REGISTER NOW: Immunisation update 2022

Webinar audience: GPs, practice nurses, practice staff and pharmacists.

Please join us for our annual Immunisation update, with the latest clinical information regarding the 2022 Influenza season, COVID-19 update and more.

This event will focus on information and forecasts for the upcoming 2022 influenza season, including guidelines for the new vaccines. The session aims to ensure immunisation providers are aware of the importance of adhering to the NSW Immunisation Schedule and ensuring children are kept up to date with their vaccination requirements. Reporting requirements will also be covered in the presentation.

Apply for a practice AIR provider number

All general practices must now register for an AIR provider number for their organisation for the purposes of sending immunisation data to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) – see NSW Health website. You will need to link this number to your practice software (e.g. Best Practice, Medical Director) to send immunisation data to the AIR.

Next steps:

1. Download and complete the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) – Application to register as a vaccination provider form (IM004)
2. Forward the completed IM004 form to the attention of the Manager of the NSW Health Immunisation Unit at: MOH-VaccReports@health.nsw.gov.au

PKI site certificates must be renewed to continue to transact digitally for Medicare and PBS. NASH PKI certificates must be renewed online through HPOS.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) response

Register for the NCIRS webinar: Japanese encephalitis virus – an update for Australian clinicians, Thursday, 17 March 2022, 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm (AEDT),

On 4 March, Australia’s Acting Chief Medical Officer has declared the unfolding situation in Australia concerning the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance.

On 11 March, Greg Hunt announced the government will invest $69 million to control the spread of the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), including $28.18 million to purchase additional JEV vaccines – to be available from late March and into April.  

There are two human JEV vaccines available on the Australian private market:

• Imojev is a single dose vaccine which supports broad use and rapid vaccination, however it not suitable for pregnant women or people who are immunocompromised.
• JEspect is given in two dose course and is suitable for most people who can’t receive the Imojev vaccine.

See advice regarding vaccination against Japanese encephalitis virus from the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) Japanese encephalitis Sub-Group. Read The Conversation article: Do I or my child need a Japanese encephalitis vaccine?

Novavax for use as a COVID-19 booster

On 2 March, ATAGI recommended the use of the Novavax vaccine as a booster in Australians aged 18 and over where an mRNA vaccine is not suitable.

Read the latest recommendations.

Novavax safety data

AusVaxSafety has published active safety surveillance data for dose 1 of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. These data provide a profile of what to expect in the days following Novavax COVID-19 vaccination.

New training module for Moderna 6 to 11 years

The COVID-19 Vaccination Training Program has released a new additional module for Moderna (6 to 11 years). All immunisation providers must complete the additional age specific training modules.

Many of the existing modules have also been updated with new information to reflect the latest ATAGI recommendations.

COVID-19 Vaccines in Australia – A3 poster

This A3 poster, updated 10 March, provides key differences between each COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Australia as per the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) guidelines.

COVID-19 vaccination rates for children 5-11 years old by LGA

This report, updated 15 March, lists the percentage of people aged between 5-11 years old who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 by local government area (LGA). CESPHN is concerned about low vaccination rates in children and general practices are encouraged to identify those families who require vaccination support.

NCIRS webinar recording

The first NCIRS webinar for 2022 looked at where we are and where we are headed as we move into the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch to hear from our expert speakers on:

• an update on Australian COVID 19 vaccine recommendations
• vaccine and infection immunity duration – where are we headed?
• new COVID-19 vaccines – do we need to change our strategy in response to new variants?
• COVID-19, routine immunisation and emerging from the pandemic

 Video now available: How do we get to immunisation business as usual while living with SARS-CoV-2?

CESPHN webinar: Practice Nurse Orientation

Presented by Karen Booth, President of Australian APNA, the CESPHN Nurse Orientation webinar aimed at helping practices nurses new to primary health care and general practice.

Details: Tuesday 24 May 2022 | 7.00pm to 8.30pm | Register now

Shingrix webinar: shingles prevention ‘in-practice’ for nurses

An educational webinar tailored for nurses on herpes zoster (shingles) vaccination for Australian adults ≥50 years of age. The webinar aims to enhance nurses knowledge of shingles and its prevention with Shingrix, a non-live shingles vaccine available in Australia.

Details: Tuesday 22 March 2022 | 7:00pm – 8:30pm AEDT | Register here

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.

Details: Thursday 17 March 2022, 11:30am (AEDT) | Click link to join

Catch up on previous webinars.

Immunisation news

Catch up on previous Immunisation Weekly Updates.

Updated NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards

Key updates in the NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards:

• Includes the COVID-19 NuvaxovidTM (Novavax vaccine) vaccine for use as a booster – only with a written request from a medical practitioner. This is the same requirement for use of COVID-19 Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca vaccine) vaccine when used as a booster dose.
• CPR certification reverts back to an annual requirement. From 1 June 2022 all pharmacist immunisers must have attended CPR certification within the previous 12 months.
• Approved vaccines and vaccination schedules have been incorporated into a table for easy reference

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