Immunisation weekly update – 19 January 2022

ATAGI advice: Gardasil®9 in the school-based NIP

The ATAGI advice on the introduction of Gardasil®9 in a 2-dose schedule under the school-based National Immunisation Program (NIP) was updated on 11 January 2022.

COVID-19 vaccine stock management and delivery delays

Has your COVID-19 vaccine delivery been delayed? Call CESPHN on 1300 986 991 option 7 for COVID-19 or email coronavirus@cesphn.com.au to access emergency Pfizer 12 years+ (Purple) vaccine supplies or notify us of excess vaccines available for redistribution.

COVID-19 vaccine in the severely immunocompromised

Latest recommendation for COVID-19 vaccine in the severely immunocompromised (17 Jan 2022):

• Severely immunocompromised children aged 5 to 11 years are now recommended to receive a 3rd primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 2 to 4 months after their second dose.
• People aged 18 years or older who received a 3-dose primary course are now recommended to receive a booster (4th) dose ≥ 4 months after their 3rd dose.
• People receiving hormonal therapy alone or localised radiotherapy are not recommended to receive a 3rd primary dose.

See ATAGI recommendations and ATAGI decision guide.

Vaccines recognised for the purpose of travel to Australia

As of 17 January 2022, the TGA determined that two doses of Sputnik V (Gamaleya Research Institute) would be ‘recognised’ for the purpose of purpose of travel to Australia, in addition to the 4 currently recognised vaccines.

New: Web-based Clinical guidance for Covid-19 vaccine providers

Recently, ATAGI’s Clinical Guidance on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in Australia in 2021 has been converted to web-based content on the Department of Health’s website (previously a PDF document).  It will continue to be updated by ATAGI as new evidence becomes available.

Have you completed the relevant training for vaccinating 5 to 11 year old children?

Immunisation providers must complete the mandatory training Pfizer (Comirnaty) Paediatric (5 to <12 Years) COVID-19 Vaccine Training Module before vaccinating paediatric groups as doses are different from adolescents and adults.

Submit your AIR forms online using the upload function in HPOS

From 31 January 2022, the following Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) forms \will no longer be accepted if sent by email, mail or fax: Immunisation medical exemption (IM011), Immunisation history (IM013), and Immunisation encounter (IM018).

The AIR forms will only be accepted if submitted online in Health Professional Online Services (HPOS), using the form upload function in HPOS Messages. This function allows you to securely send messages with forms and supporting documents directly to AIR. See How to use HPOS features.

Australian Immunisation Handbook App

User acceptance testers (UAT) needed to test the latest updates of the digital Australian Immunisation Handbook, the Australian Immunisation Handbook App and the National Immunisation Catch-up Calculator. Testers can be experienced providers or those new to immunisation. Contact Ranjeet Elkunhwar directly for further information or to participate as a UAT via Ranjeet’s ranjeet@folk.com.au.

COVID-19 live stream update for GPs for 2022! 

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 20 January 2022, 11:30am (AEDT) | Click link to join

Catch up on previous webinars.

COVID-19 vaccine comparison tools

There are 4 different COVID-19 vaccines available for use in Australia. The below tools can assist with managing the different storage conditions and expiry requirements.

Download the CESPHN COVID-19 vaccine Defrost Expiry Calculator.

The COVID-19 vaccine comparison chart provides key differences between the 4 COVID-19 vaccines.

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