Australia gets closer to first vaccinations

It is understood Australians are likely to get sent the information directly or through their GP when it is their turn to get the COVID vaccine, with a national public health campaign to alert Australians when the rollout moves into its different phases.

Other details in the plan include:

A national front door booking system so people can book directly with a GP clinic or pharmacy once contacted

As the rollout is primarily based on age, most people will only need to show their driver’s license to show they are eligible

Healthcare providers will email through a certificate which can be printed out once a person is inoculated

The medical provider will upload details of who has had a vaccine to the person’s Australian Immunisation Register, which records all vaccines given to people in Australia

Authorities will set up a national database and any side effects or adverse events, if they occur, will be made public

‘200,000 doses a day’

The new information comes as early-stage modelling shows the enormity of the task ahead.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales released a pre-print paper this week — which is yet to be peer-reviewed — estimating 200,000 Australians need to receive the jab every day for the Government to reach its October target of vaccinating every Australian.

The UK, which has been rolling out its vaccine for more than a month, is so far vaccinating around 200,000 people a day with Israel so far the the world leader.

The Australian Government so far has declined to commit to a target, with Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy telling a Parliamentary Committee on Friday “we will scale up according to what we’ve got”.

Some GPs say plan ‘wont work effectively’

In early-stage planning, the Government has been aiming for about 1,000 GP clinics to sign up to administer the AstraZeneca jab, which will rollout after the Pfizer jab.

According to the Government, so far about 2,000 clinics have expressed an interest.

Pharmacies are also in-line to be part of “phase 2a” of the rollout, with the expressions of interests closing later this month, but the Government has not yet revealed how many have come on board.

Professor Murphy said nurses at GP clinics would be “the backbone” of the vaccine rollout, and although GPs would be on hand to answer questions, nurses would take on the majority of the vaccinations.

However, the Australian GP Alliance said there were many logistical and financial hurdles to overcome before the full rollout commenced.

Dr Maria Boulton is a Brisbane GP and part of the Alliance. She said she was concerned that the plan to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to the majority of Australians would not work effectively.

She said many practices will need to buy special fridges and batteries to store the vaccines, which cost almost $7000.

The Government on Monday announced $1.9 billion towards the coronavirus vaccine rollout, to help hospitals, GPs and pharmacies on the frontline deliver the jabs “to all corners of the country”.

The specific details were not revealed, but hospitals are expected receive the majority of that funding.

It said pharmacies and GPs will also receive money to cover the costs of administering the vaccines, such as extra staff needed to help deliver it across the country, including in regional and remote areas.