The Government has formally issued guidance that children aged 5 to 11 can now receive COVID vaccinations as recommended by…
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COVID Vaccine
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more serious diseases. COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new coronavirus form, first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan City in China. Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, but often include headache, fever, loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea and mild to moderate respiratory illness such as coughing, sore throat and shortness of breath.
The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily from person to person through close contact with an infectious person, contact with aerosols from an infected person’s cough or sneeze or touching objects or surfaces that have aerosols from an infected person, and then touching your mouth or face. People who are 70 years or older and those with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are at higher risk of developing a serious illness. Since COVID-19 is a new disease, there is no existing immunity available in our community resulting in the spread of the virus quickly and widely.
The best way to protect your loved ones and yourself
The best way to protect your loved ones and yourself is to get vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus. The Australian government has commenced the vaccination program in Victoria on 22nd February to provide free covid vaccines for all Victorians.
Due to the limited availability of covid vaccine in Victoria, initial vaccination will be offered using a “priority framework” where individuals who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19 such as quarantine and border workers, frontline health care workers and aged care and disability care staff workers along with elders, vulnerable patients and aged care and disability residents will be offered the vaccine first as the priority.
While COVID-19 vaccination is not mandatory, it would be better to vaccinate since COVID-19 can cause severe lung and generalised disease which could easily spread from one person to another with few or no symptoms and increase the risk of long-term effects on health, particularly in elders. By choosing to vaccinate, you are protecting yourself and others in the community from this deadly virus.
COVID Vaccine Updates
The Government has formally issued guidance that children aged 5 to 11 can now receive COVID vaccinations as recommended by…
Continue ReadingFrequently Asked Questions
Which COVID-19 vaccines will be used in Australia in 2021?
- The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved 3 vaccines for use in Australia:
- Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine
- Vaxzevira (AstraZeneca) vaccine
- Spikevax (Moderna) vaccine
Who will get a COVID-19 vaccine first and how is this decided?
- It will take time for enough vaccine doses to be manufactured so that the entire population in Australia can be vaccinated. Initially, the vaccine will be offered using a ‘priority framework‘ that outlines how to allocate the initially limited available doses.
- The Australian Government, informed by ATAGI and other medical expert groups, has published detailed information outlining priority populations on the basis of a number of factors, including where COVID-19 infections are occurring, the risk of infection and severe disease, and the characteristics of the available vaccines.
- Similar priority lists have been developed around the world, including by the World Health Organization, the United Kingdom Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- As quarantine and border workers, frontline health care workers and aged care and disability care staff workers are at high risk of contracting COVID-19 and also may spread the virus to vulnerable patients and the elderly, they have been identified as groups to be offered the vaccine first, along with aged care and disability residents.
- Children are not an initial priority group for COVID-19 vaccination because of lesser disease severity in children than in older people.
Where will people be able to access the vaccine, and will it be free?
- COVID-19 vaccines are free for everyone in Australia, as per the Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.
- The Australian Government has published information on the vaccination sites, noting some of this is still to be finalised.
- You can book your COVID-19 vaccination appointment with M3 Health here
Will the COVID-19 vaccine be mandatory?
- The Australian Government has stated that COVID-19 vaccination “is not mandatory and individuals may choose not to vaccinate”. If people choose not to have a COVID-19 vaccine, this will not affect their family’s eligibility for Family Tax Benefit Part A or childcare fee assistance which only includes National Immunisation Program vaccines for those aged <20 years.
- It is possible that in future, vaccination against COVID-19 may become a requirement for travel to certain destinations or for people working in certain high-risk workplaces. If this becomes the case, it is anticipated there will be exemptions in place for people who are unable to be vaccinated.
Why are multi-dose vials being used to store COVID-19 vaccines?
- Multi-dose vials contain more than one dose of a vaccine in a single glass vial. They usually include 5–20 doses per vial, and each dose is then carefully extracted and given via individual syringes for injection. Use of multi-dose vials is the most efficient way to distribute a new vaccine to the maximum number of people and is being used world-wide for all COVID-19 vaccines.
- Packaging vaccine doses multi-dose vials is safe and is supported by numerous quality controls and good handling practices.
- Multi-dose vials are routinely used in Australia for the tuberculosis (BCG) vaccine and were used for the 2009 pandemic influenza vaccine. Immunisation providers are trained in and follow guidelines specifically on the use of multi-dose vials.
Why should I get a COVID-19 vaccine?
- COVID-19 is a disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. It can cause severe lung and generalised disease and has caused the deaths of over 2 million people worldwide since January 2020.
- Although the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk, anyone can get severe disease and die of COVID-19. In some people, COVID-19 may cause long-term symptoms of fatigue and breathlessness. The virus is also easily spread by people with few or no symptoms; even if you may not become unwell with COVID-19, others you may pass on the virus to can.
- By vaccinating, you are protecting yourself and others from severe COVID-19. It is also likely that once a large amount of people are vaccinated, this will decrease the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
- Lockdowns are not a sustainable way of managing this pandemic. Vaccination is our pathway out of lockdowns and safely living with COVID in our communities.
Can I choose which COVID-19 vaccine I get?
- The COVID-19 vaccination you receive is determined by:
- Age
- Clinical risk factors
- Vaccine Supply
To determine which vaccination is appropriate for you please visit the government eligibility checker or book a brief phone appointment with your GP here.
What is COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and how does it work?
- COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is a COVID-19 vaccine developed by The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. It contains a harmless common cold ‘carrier’ virus (an adenovirus), into which the genetic code for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has been inserted. The spike protein is an important part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and helps the virus enter cells.
- After vaccination, the adenovirus carrier brings this piece of genetic code into your cells, and your cells then read it to produce copies of the spike protein. Your immune system then detects these spike proteins and learns how to recognise and fight against COVID-19.
- The adenovirus has been modified so that it cannot replicate once it is inside cells. This means that it cannot spread to other cells and cause infection. For this reason, COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is not considered a ‘live vaccine’.
How many doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be required and what will be the schedule?
- The number and timing of doses will vary between different COVID-19 vaccines and you should follow the guidance of your immunisation provider.
- If you are having Comirnaty (Pfizer), you will need to have two doses, around 6 weeks apart.
- The AstraZeneca/University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine also requires two doses, given around 6 weeks apart (or as short as 4 weeks apart, if necessary).
- Refer to ATAGI clinical guidance on COVID-19 Vaccine in Australia in 2021 for more details on dose timing.
Can COVID-19 vaccines be co-administered with other vaccines (eg, influenza vaccine)?
- Routine administration of a COVID-19 vaccine on the same day as another vaccine, including an inactivated influenza vaccine, is not recommended. Currently the preferred minimum interval between receipt of COVID-19 vaccine and another vaccine is 7 days.
- This advice may change as further information becomes available.
- For more information, refer to https://www.health.gov.au.
How effective are COVID-19 vaccines?
Both the Pfizer (Comirnaty) and AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) vaccines are very effective at stopping people from becoming very sick if they catch COVID-19.
The vaccines have been thoroughly assessed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and found to be effective. Read more about the approval of the vaccines.
Clinical trials of both vaccines also indicate their effectiveness is very good.
As other countries around the world progress with their rollouts, more and more data is becoming available that shows these vaccines are both highly effective when it comes to a real world situation.
For example, data from the United Kingdom shows that both these vaccines also significantly reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults.
This adds to the growing evidence that shows both the Pfizer (Comirnaty) and AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) vaccines are working and are highly effective in protecting people against severe illness, hospitalisation and death.
Will the COVID-19 vaccines be effective on new variants of the virus?
All viruses mutate. COVID-19 is no different and there have been reports in media recently about new strains of the virus.
This does not mean the vaccines will not be effective on new variants.
Evidence tells us that the COVID-19 vaccines will still be effective against these new variants.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will also closely look at this as part of their approval and monitoring processes.
It may mean people need booster shots like tetanus and whooping cough or it may mean we need to be vaccinated again – like we are for the flu vaccine each year.
Researchers are still investigating this, but they do know the virus has not mutated enough to make current vaccines ineffective.
All the vaccines that are currently approved for use in Australia and other countries have demonstrated they are highly effective in preventing severe illness from COVID-19.
Can different COVID-19 vaccines be used interchangeably?
- You must have two doses of the same COVID-19 vaccine to complete your course.
- However, this advice may change over time as more data emerges. For example, a clinical trial of vaccination with alternating doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines is being conducted in the United Kingdom.
