COVID vaccine rollout continues

WANGARATTA'S ongoing rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine appears to have been largely unaffected by new findings made public by the Australian Government last week. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recently stated there was evidence of a rare but serious side effect involving thrombosis (clotting) with thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count), following receipt of AstraZeneca vaccine. ATAGI recommended that Pfizer is preferred over AstraZeneca in adults aged under 50 years, but stated that the AstraZeneca vaccine can be used in adults under 50 where the benefits clearly outweigh the risk. South Wangaratta Medical Centre and Phillipson Street Clinic are currently rolling out up to 400 AstraZeneca immunisations each a week, available to those eligible under the Federal Government's Phase 1b vaccine program - which includes adults aged 70 years and over, health care workers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults over 55, and adults with a specified medical condition. Phillipson Street Clinic practice manager Deb Bridgfoot said while they had some cancellations for the vaccine, most people were still wanting to go ahead. "It hasn’t affected the majority of the people who are already booked in," Ms Bridgfoot said. "We did another 280 vaccines on Friday (last week) and the week before we did 260. "So we're increasing our ability to vaccinate at the St Patrick's Hall." Ms Bridgfoot said the risk associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine was "minor" and the clinic was increasing its ability to vaccinate those eligible at St Patrick's Hall. "We're more than confident to recommend the AstraZeneca vaccine, but we're letting people make their own decision if they're under 50 years old," she said. South Wangaratta Medical Centre practice manager Kim Ching said the clinic is being guided by the government on the utilisation of the vaccine. "We noticed some people have some concerns and we've given them a GP appointment to discuss any concerns that they may have," Ms Ching said. She said the clinic had been vaccinating roughly 30 to 40 patients a day and on busier days 50 to 60, and recommended that people also get their flu vaccine, which needs to be two weeks apart from a COVID-19 vaccine. People who have had the first dose of AstraZeneca without any serious adverse effects can be given the second dose, including adults under 50 years, according to the ATAGI. The Australian Government is reviewing the COVID-19 vaccination program rollout, and according to the Department of Health as of April 11, 1,178,302 vaccine doses were administered. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) also approved wider storage and transportation conditions for the Pfizer vaccine to enable greater flexibility in storage and deployment. While longer term storage at dry ice or ultra-cold temperatures (-90C to -60C) is still required, for unopened vials, storage and transportation at domestic freezer temperatures (-25C to -15C) is permitted for up to two weeks.

COVID vaccine rollout continues

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