The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Australia has begun

[Flying mermaid]

From latest feedback 50/50 as to those getting their 2nd AZ.

Which is really dumb! If they had no problems with their first AZ shots then the chances of any issue second time around are vanishingly small….

 

[RAM]

So all the pessimists who have used the daily vaccination numbers to predict that we won't potentially all be vaccinated by the end of 2022 will now trumpet that if we keep up this daily rate for 5 days a week we could potentially have everyone vaccinated by the end of September.
I don't expect any headlines.

By everyone, you do mean over 18yr olds?

90 days (days left in qtr) @ 161,390 = 14,525,100

+ 8,000,000 (approx) = 22,525,100 doses = only 11,262,550 people fully vaccinated (reality would be say 5,000,000 having received two doses and say 12,525,100 just one dose.

That would still leave around 2,500,000 aged 18 or over unvaccinated as well as around 5,600,000 under 18s unvaccinated.

VERY different to 'everyone vaccinated by the end of September'.

Even so, would be a great outcome. Sure would make it hard to keep arguing about the never never border opening.

 

[louie-m]

From latest feedback 50/50 as to those getting their 2nd AZ.

That's really depressing (as if today hasn't been depressing enough). If supposedly intelligent and educated nursing and medical students won't listen to scientific advice, what hope is there that the rest of the population will?

 

[mviy]

The government really needs to come out and say those who have had their first shot of AZ need to get their 2nd and will be at the back of the queue for other jabs unless they have had a severe reaction to the first jab i.e. blood clotting leading to hospitalisation. They should also say that them not getting their second jab won't hold up reopening the borders and one jab whilst it makes some difference will still leave them at a much greater risk of getting the virus than two jabs.

 

[Flying mermaid]

That's really depressing (as if today hasn't been depressing enough). If supposedly intelligent and educated nursing and medical students won't listen to scientific advice, what hope is there that the rest of the population will?

Sounds like a bit of a beat up to me. ATAGI changed the guidance for Under 50s in early April, so I would have thought most med students would have got Pfizer.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Vaccinations on 1 July. 163,178

 

[RAM]

Sounds like a bit of a beat up to me. ATAGI changed the guidance for Under 50s in early April, so I would have thought most med students would have got Pfizer.

And the edict went out for all unvaccinated NSW Dept of Health workers, consultants, nursing & medical students to get it done (or else) 20 somethingth of March. The bulk got this reinforced that day at their in-hospital morning meetings asking if they had booked in for AZ yet.

The email said book by end of day IIRC.

A number of the students had already been discussing their concerns (amongst themselves) over what they were reading (actual overseas medical studies/reports not media stories) on AZ in Europe.

The email came out after the media started reporting the massive likely miss of the 4 million by end March target. Remember all Aged & Disability Care facility residents & workers were supposed to have been fully vaccinated (with Pfizer) by the end of Week 6 - announced by Greg Hunt in the days before the vaccine rollout began.

As of the 3rd week of March there was very little publicity about the zero vaccination of the entire disability care residents & workers nor the almost non-existent vaccination of Aged Care workers - so in this environment the nursing & medical students as well as many doctors & nurses were concerned they were being exposed & treated as cannon fodder.

There was plenty of AZ available for Priority 1A then in Sydney. There should have been plenty of Pfizer around as Aged & Disability Care facility residents & workers (approx 65% of all Priority 1A) had hardly been vaccinated at all and the majority of the rest had not been vaccinated either. Just 671,000 vaccinations had been done by March 31st of which seemingly up to half had not gone to the Priority 1A Group.

Many health dept bureaucrats had been (even fully) vaccinated with Pfizer though (at least in certain Eastern suburbs hospitals) whilst front line CV facing medical teams had not been given a date by March 19th. So the bulk of them got AZ in the last week of March before the advice got changed.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Noticed you didn't highlight the word Regional, which is where NSW will be trialing pharmacies. And they can only give vaccines to the recommended age groups, so AZ only for over 60s,

Wisely NSW are adding more mass vax centres which are much more efficient meaning less wastage and proving popular that many are fully booked for weeks.

22 pharmacies across regional and rural NSW will begin administering the AstraZeneca vaccines as part of a pilot program from July 19.​

Why would I need to?

Unlike you I have great faith in a proven vaccine distribution channel and the meaning of the sentence I would have thought quite clear.
Your constant claims on efficiencies and wastage are unfounded.

I don't have any disregard for pharmacists and their ability to vaccinate people , nor people living in regional or rural locations. I do not regard a vaccination at a pharmacists as a "lesser" service. The nurse there is equally as competent as the nurse at the GPs or State Hub.

​

​

As much as you ridicule the concept, pharmacists will increasingly be part of the Covid Vaccination Program for 1st and 2nd doses.

In addition, Covid most likely will become endemic like the flu and also we most likely we will all be getting ongoing corvid vaccinations. As life returns to normal, the Exhibition Buildings and Showgrounds etc will revert to their original uses (ie Events and Expos will resume) and the States will withdraw from being key players in Covid Vaccinations in terms of performing the actual vaccination.

Covid vaccinations in the endemic phase will most likely mostly be done by Pharmacists and GPs and the like, just as they do now with flu and other vaccines.

 

[JB expat]

For anyone in Melbourne....hot tip....the new vaccination centre that is run by Northern Health at the Plenty Ranges Arts Centre has received stock and has come online with an abundance of 1st dose Pfizer appointments available starting today. It has an online booking that is separate to the main booking system.

Same with Bluff Road Medical Center, Sandringham, VIC. Just booked my husband's 1st and 2nd Pfizer (I'm fully vaccinated with AZ).

 

[justinbrett]

22 pharmacies across regional and rural NSW will begin administering the AstraZeneca vaccines as part of a pilot program from July 19.​

Why would I need to?

Unlike you I have great faith in a proven vaccine distribution channel and the meaning of the sentence I would have thought quite clear.
Your constant claims on efficiencies and wastage are unfounded.

I don't have any disregard for pharmacists and their ability to vaccinate people , nor people living in regional or rural locations. I do not regard a vaccination at a pharmacists as a "lesser" service. The nurse there is equally as competent as the nurse at the GPs or State Hub.

​

​

As much as you ridicule the concept, pharmacists will increasingly be part of the Covid Vaccination Program for 1st and 2nd doses.

In addition, Covid most likely will become endemic like the flu and also we most likely we will all be getting ongoing corvid vaccinations. As life returns to normal, the Exhibition Buildings and Showgrounds etc will revert to their original uses (ie Events and Expos will resume) and the States will withdraw from being key players in Covid Vaccinations in terms of performing the actual vaccination.

Covid vaccinations in the endemic phase will most likely mostly be done by Pharmacists and GPs and the like, just as they do now with flu and other vaccines.

This is not a comment or criticism on your post so please don't take it as that....

But - there is a massive difference between regional NSW and regional VIC (I have lived in both). Victoria is the most centralised and densely populated state. It's quite a different matter distributing vaccines in Orbost than it is in Bourke.

Just a reminder that every state has very different needs and what works in one doesn't necessarily work in the others.

 

[jase05]

Get on the phone Scotty

https://twitter.com/x/status/1410870099058298883

 

[lovetravellingoz]

This is not a comment or criticism on your post so please don't take it as that....

But - there is a massive difference between regional NSW and regional VIC (I have lived in both). Victoria is the most centralised and densely populated state. It's quite a different matter distributing vaccines in Orbost than it is in Bourke.

Just a reminder that every state has very different needs and what works in one doesn't necessarily work in the others.

Yes every state is different I agree.

And it makes sense that initially as coverage is poor in rural areas, that the proven vaccine channel of pharmacies is utilised.

49 rural Qld pharmacies commenced Covid Vaccinations in early June.

Community pharmacists begin COVID jabs | AJP

The first COVID-19 vaccination delivered through a community pharmac_ in Australia has been administered Executive Director of the pharmac_ Guild, Suzanne Greenwood, was the first person to have the COVID-19 ...

ajp.com.au

However I believe that pharmacies in both metro and rural areas will end up vaccinating people with Covid vaccines and morseo once we move to endemic vaccination phase in 2022 and beyond.

However in the last quarter of this year with more vaccines available including possibly Novavax I would expect to see more and more pharmacists join the rollout.

 

[Flying mermaid]

I have been thinking about our vaccination rate. Now USA peaked at 4 million per day - truly amazing! But for a lot of the time the average is more like 2 million per day. I.e. 14 million per week. Now they have a population about 14 times ours so that’s 1 million a week - not too far off what we are now at.

Their peak of 4 million a day would equate to 2 million a week - perhaps we can achieve that in October when we will be swimming in Pfizer etc - don’t know and of course can we maintain our current rate for the next 3 months?

I hope so, but the main issue seems the reluctance (tempted to use stupidity) of the people who aren’t bothering to go out and get it. We need some big sticks.

 

[Flying mermaid]

And the edict went out for all unvaccinated NSW Dept of Health workers, consultants, nursing & medical students to get it done (or else) 20 somethingth of March. The bulk got this reinforced that day at their in-hospital morning meetings asking if they had booked in for AZ yet.

The email said book by end of day IIRC.

A number of the students had already been discussing their concerns (amongst themselves) over what they were reading (actual overseas medical studies/reports not media stories) on AZ in Europe.

The email came out after the media started reporting the massive likely miss of the 4 million by end March target. Remember all Aged & Disability Care facility residents & workers were supposed to have been fully vaccinated (with Pfizer) by the end of Week 6 - announced by Greg Hunt in the days before the vaccine rollout began.

As of the 3rd week of March there was very little publicity about the zero vaccination of the entire disability care residents & workers nor the almost non-existent vaccination of Aged Care workers - so in this environment the nursing & medical students as well as many doctors & nurses were concerned they were being exposed & treated as cannon fodder.

There was plenty of AZ available for Priority 1A then in Sydney. There should have been plenty of Pfizer around as Aged & Disability Care facility residents & workers (approx 65% of all Priority 1A) had hardly been vaccinated at all and the majority of the rest had not been vaccinated either. Just 671,000 vaccinations had been done by March 31st of which seemingly up to half had not gone to the Priority 1A Group.

Many health dept bureaucrats had been (even fully) vaccinated with Pfizer though (at least in certain Eastern suburbs hospitals) whilst front line CV facing medical teams had not been given a date by March 19th. So the bulk of them got AZ in the last week of March before the advice got changed.

Which is when Ms FM and SIL got vaccinated. They have had their second shot now, which means all these ones should have. So if you are right 50% haven’t bothered then I stand by my original dumb comment and they should be booted out as not being capable of good analysis.

I don’t know where they were getting their info from, as my trainee specialist daughter who worked at a London Hospital all through last year, had no issues with her sister getting AZ and says that her doctor friends in London are bemused at the fuss Australians are making over it…..

 

[JB expat]

USA statistics from today's New York Times

 

[Lynda2475]

Your constant claims on efficiencies and wastage are unfounded.

No the official numbers show that the GP channel has the lowest dose utlisation, some 17% worse than the state run hbs.

"The notes states the dose utilisation is calculated based on the total doses administered and a small % wastage in line with international standards in relation to total available doses." But it is not so small in the GP channel.

Covid vaccinations in the endemic phase will most likely mostly be done by Pharmacists and GPs and the like, just as they do now with flu and other vaccines.

It would make sense to keep some of the state centres (particulary CBD based one ongoing for boosters), this is of course easier to do in states that are using purpose facilities, not borrowing event space. Everyone needs boosters, so there will be ongoing demand for some to remain.

Flu vax at pharmacies only runs a for a limited number of weeks each year, most pharmacies dont have space for people to wait socially distanced either.

Unless you have a heath care card or can find a GP that bulk bills (a rarity in inner Sydney), the GP route is an expensive one unless you have another reason to also go to the GP.

If they are going to allow pharamcies, they would do better to also allow workplace programs. Workplace flu vax prgrams bring in nurses and have great partcipation rate and cost people nothing but 15 minutes ou of their work day.

 

[mviy]

Fewer doses would have been wasted if they opened up GP vaccinations to everyone sooner.

 

[burmans]

Personally I think supply will soon be yesterday’s problem, hesitancy much more likely to derail us getting to a reasonable target.

 

[Lynda2475]

Fewer doses would have been wasted if they opened up GP vaccinations to everyone sooner.

Or if there were more mass vax clinincs (which is what is about to happen) that had the volume of people to use more.

They need to report this breakdown by vacicne type too, as there will be uprorar if Pfizer wastage is exposed, given the limited supply.

I think they need metrics for wastage, if it is >10% you get booted from the program and the next delivery gets diverted to a channel or practice that is more efficient.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Personally I think supply will soon be yesterday’s problem, hesitancy much more likely to derail us getting to a reasonable target.

Woo hoo finally something we can agree on.