The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Australia has begun

[kangarooflyer88]

NSW is different:

"NSW pharmacists who have undertaken appropriate training are able to administer privately funded diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (whooping cough) (dTpa) and measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines to people aged 16 years and over and can administer privately funded influenza vaccine to people aged 10 years and over."

So 3 vaccines and only if you pay for them. If you are entitled to a free Medicare funded MMR booster you have to go to GP.

A GP visit is required for the bulk of adult vaccinations.

You can keep nit picking, but the OP wants to be able to walk into a pharmac_ to get vaccines on demand without a Medicare card, without filling in forms or making an appointment. This is not the norm in Australia, nor should it be.

He was comparing the process to getting a flu shot at the a pharmac_. You need a Medicare number to get a flu shot at a pharmac_ and you fill in a form. I have used this channel for many tears and know the process.


Despite your commentary on state vaccination hubs being the only way to go GPs. Pharmacists and other channels can also be used safely and efficiently. Pharmacists have a long record of safely and efficiently delivery many different vaccines.

You don't need a Medicare number to get the flu shot and doubt that has ever been the case. You don't even need a Medicare card to get a prescription filled, get routine medical services such as booking an appointment with your GP or get blood work, or heaven forbid requiring emergency medicine. I know because I do not have a Medicare number or card as an international student studying in Australia for the past year and for the next 3 years (that's where mandatory private insurance kicks in). Talking specifically about the flu jab, you don't need to show a Medicare card either, simply show up, present your passport, pay the fee and get the jab.

One thing that does bother me is the fact that one needs to pay for the flu jab (which is also the case in the UK too). I don't know if NSW Health has done a cost/benefit analysis of making the flu vaccine free versus the potential number of hospitalizations and costs incurred on the Medicare system nevermind the economy by having people sick from the flu.

Getting back to the topic at hand, one of the key things that I think warrants further discussion is the role pharmacists can play in this rollout. So far the rollout has been limited to GPs and specialists clinics/vaccination hubs. This will cause a bottleneck and slow down the vaccination progress. Other countries such as the United States and Canada have made getting the COVID shot available at pharmacies, either on a walk-in basis or via appointment. At the same time, I don't get why GP's time should be wasted administering something routine like a vaccine. They have more important things to do such as delivering care for someone experiencing a chronic or acute illness. Don't get me wrong, GPs are there to have the discussion with their patients on the vaccine choices and what's right for their patients, but should we really be burdening our GPs with all administrative work when we already have a network of well-trained pharmacists who have been administering vaccines well before social distancing became a thing? Why is it we can trust pharmacists to administer the flu jab every year and walk patients through highly complex medications that can have dire consequences if administered wrong but we must keep these vaccines in a golden briefcase only to be administered by GPs or nurses in specially designated hubs?

-KangarooFlyer88

 

[QF WP]

Lucky I'm not in the baby boomer cohort (miss by a couple of years), but I think there's enough disconcerting information beign floated out there that those people don't want to take the risk. There is no risk free rate of vaccinations. Life has many risks, including just sitting pounding at our keyboard...

 

[jonboixxx]

Good to see some accurate data today

Luckily our opinions, embarrassment or lack thereof has no impact on the vaccination rate, which is starting to speed up significantly. Even AP said today there's no issue with future supply, we'll be swimming in Pfizer and Moderna in a couple of months.

Phew! And that's coming from AP! We can all rest easy.

Wait, yesterday, the messaging was that we were running out in 8 days?? Can we move Qld presser reports to the humour thread?

 

[jakeseven7]

Lucky I'm not in the baby boomer cohort (miss by a couple of years), but I think there's enough disconcerting information beign floated out there that those people don't want to take the risk. There is no risk free rate of vaccinations. Life has many risks, including just sitting pounding at our keyboard...

Pity, once the virus arrives here the baby boomer gen are higher risk.

 

[Pete98765432]

Wait, yesterday, the messaging was that we were running out in 8 days?? Can we move Qld presser reports to the humour thread?

This is not inconsistent. They can run out in 8 days but after more deliveries have plenty in a couple of months.

 

[justinbrett]

This is not inconsistent. They can run out in 8 days but after more deliveries have plenty in a couple of months.

I guess the inconsistency is the 5 week notice they get of their supply and there had been no change to that (all other states reporting supply is fine).

Seems to indicate the QLD forward planning process is not the best. You know your allocation, you work within that, just like a budget.

 

[jakeseven7]

This is not inconsistent. They can run out in 8 days but after more deliveries have plenty in a couple of months.

Sorweeee everyone we forgot to count! love QLD Health xx_
(ps sorry about not vaccinating our hospital staff who work right outside a covid ward, again!)

 

[QF WP]

Pity, once the virus arrives here the baby boomer gen are higher risk.

The virus is here, as have been all of the variants. Are you meaning rampant Delta variant spread?

 

[bcworld]

Sorweeee

I see what you did there. You're very cruel!

 

[jonboixxx]

This is not inconsistent. They can run out in 8 days but after more deliveries have plenty in a couple of months.

In other news, 18 year old Queenslanders are banned from surfing by CHO, due to risk of death by shark or drowning.

I guess the inconsistency is the 5 week notice they get of their supply and there had been no change to that (all other states reporting supply is fine).

Seems to indicate the QLD forward planning process is not the best. You know your allocation, you work within that, just like a budget.

QLD government has FORWARD plans?

 

[justinbrett]

Sorweeee everyone we forgot to count! love QLD Health xx_
(ps sorry about not vaccinating our hospital staff who work right outside a covid ward, again!)

Look, the Health Minister is not responsible for giving out the vaccinations.

 

[bcworld]

In other news, 18 year old Queenslanders are banned from surfing by CHO, due to risk of death by shark or drowning.

Oh I would love to see one of the journalists put that to the CHO tomorrow!

 

[Lynda2475]

One thing that does bother me is the fact that one needs to pay for the flu jab (which is also the case in the UK too). I don't know if NSW Health has done a cost/benefit analysis of making the flu vaccine free versus the potential number of hospitalizations and costs incurred on the Medicare system nevermind the economy by having people sick from the flu.

Not everyone has to pay.

Over 65s, younger people with certain conditions and those with a commonwealth health card can get flu jab free on Medicare via their GP, my parents don't pay for the consult or the jab, all covered by Medicare.

And many workplaces run schemes providing free flu vax via either having a provider come onsite and give shots at the workplace or giving you a voucher to redeem at certain pharmacies. The employer pays for the nurse and the vaccines as it offers benefit to the company to have employees vaccinated.

The stat run mass vaccination clinics have proved super popular and that is why NSW has announced more of them both yesterday and today - more of these will offer bigger benefit than pharmacies.

 

[burmans]

Good to see some accurate data today

Luckily our opinions, embarrassment or lack thereof has no impact on the vaccination rate, which is starting to speed up significantly.

You must be looking at different data to me, doesn't appear to be speeding up significantly to me. A bump for the Victoria lockdown and has now settled at a lower rate. If the current circumstances cant get the rate up significantly I don't know what will.

 

[serfty]

Shockingly bad figures for those aged 57-75; 30+% without their first dose despite being given ample opportunity to do so.

Not shocking at all, and Good, rather than Bad.

Those 50-70 in '2a' have generally only had an effective 6 weeks to get their AZ first dose and have already done so than not.

It will not be until the three months are up into September that they'll be having their second AZ dose.

 

[Flying mermaid]

You must be looking at different data to me, doesn't appear to be speeding up significantly to me. A bump for the Victoria lockdown and has now settled at a lower rate. If the current circumstances cant get the rate up significantly I don't know what will.

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I wouldn’t get too depressed. We had a week where the Queens birthday weekend really killed numbers and then the following week under 60s were told to get Pfizer not AZ, so that threw a spanner in the works. We seem to be recovering numbers again - today was a really good result and July should see increased supply of Pfizer so that will help. Fully vaccinated numbers are growing as well. 7.5 % now.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Not shocking at all, and Good, rather than Bad.

Those 50-70 in '2a' have generally only had an effective 6 weeks to get their AZ first dose and more have already done so than not.

It will not be until the three months are up into September that they'll be having their second AZ dose.

Is that right? Over 70 is at 70%. 50 to 70 is a range from in the 30s to high 50s at best.

 

[justinbrett]

You must be looking at different data to me, doesn't appear to be speeding up significantly to me. A bump for the Victoria lockdown and has now settled at a lower rate. If the current circumstances cant get the rate up significantly I don't know what will.

View attachment 251837

The trend is still up - you have to account for the hump from the Victorian allocation.

We're pretty close to the 1M/week metric which is the goal.

It's certainly going up faster than it was before the Victorian lockdown, your graph shows that clearly.

If the daily dose number increases, that means the vaccinated stat is speeding up. I'm talking about the rate the vaccinated number goes up (a straight line on this graph) - not the rate of daily increase in doses goes up (which would be a curved line), which is a rate of a rate.

 

[Seat0B]

Honestly, turn your back for a second (to go and get jabbed) and it all kicks off. It's taken me all day to get up to date!

I understand your frustration at feeling railroaded. I feel the same about certain things in my life. Just not that! I'm frustrated because I can't see my family and feeling powerless whilst certain state premiers and CHOs seem to be doing their best to scupper the rollout for overtly political reasons. And all I can do is shout at the TV.

Anyway, I applaud you for suppressing your frustrations and getting on with getting jabbed.

OT: I had a look at my newly updated vaccination record when I got back last night. My random flu vacs were Afluria Quad last year and FluQuadri this year. Did I do well?

I had Afluria Quad last year and Fluarix Tetra this year (which despite its name is a quadrivalent), so sounds pretty similar! I'm not too worried about the brand name, but I am concerned to know the type of vaccine and its efficacy. I can't remember last year's numbers but this year it was something like 63% for prevention of moderate to severe, which I think is pretty standard.

 

[Lynda2475]

For the under 50s (mostly Pfizer) the 2nd dose figure is roughly half the first dose, shows they are going back pretty promptly to be fully vaccinated. This is also the case the over 95s who are also more likley to be in aged care and thus have also gotten Pfizer.

The effect of the long gap between AZ doses is really noticeable in the 50 - 85s where second doses are only at 6 -15% of the first.