More on Vaccines

1) Will having the vaccine mean that we can stop the social distancing, mask-wearing and handwashing?

The simple answer is, “not yet”. 

In order to keep things this way and to prevent a surge in hospitalisations and deaths due to some quarantine accident, as was experienced in Victoria in July 2020, we need to vaccinate the majority of Australians.

The vaccination program will take time, as it will occur in phases while the supplies of vaccine become available. Teams of doctors, an array of GP practices, and nurses are already preparing to receive these supplies in their clinics.

We are all in this for the long haul and need to stick to the national plan, which is to protect all Australians.

2) Who will get the vaccine first?

Australia’s national COVID vaccine strategy has been outlined to take place in three phases

• Phase 1a: quarantine and border workers, frontline at-risk health workers, residential aged care and disability staff, residential and disability care residents.
• Phase 1b: adults over 70, all other health workers including GPs, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, younger adults with a medical condition, critical and high-risk workers such as police, fire and emergency services, and meat processing workers.
• Phase 2a: adults over 50 years, continuing on phase 1b with other high-risk critical workers.
• Phase 2b: balance of adult population and catch up of any unvaccinated Australians from previous phases.
• Phase 3: people under 18, if recommended.

3) When will I be able to see my GP for this?

Some general practice clinics will be administering the vaccine from late February 2021 and some will not.

All GPs have been invited to participate in running COVID vaccination clinics from their practices.

This will be a slower process as you will need to be asked a few questions, fill in a consent form and then wait for up to 15 minutes nearby or in a separate area with appropriate physical distancing.

You can ask your GP now if their practice will be enrolling to deliver the vaccine in their clinic during phase 1b and 2 rollouts. By the end of February, all GPs will have a list of nearby facilities that will be administering the vaccine.

4) If I don’t have a GP, where can I go to get this if I want to?

There will be designated COVID vaccination centres, much like the COVID testing clinics that you have grown accustomed to, and respiratory clinics for those being checked for symptoms.

You can also voluntarily enrol at one of the general practice clinics that are involved in the vaccination strategy and start up a relationship with a GP at the practice for your other regular health checks. This is a good opportunity to think long-term about your health.

We believe it is not likely that the vaccines will prevent the spread of COVID between people who are carrying the virus silently but are not sick with it. That’s why social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks in spaces where social distancing is not possible, will remain in place for a while longer until we get the disease spread under control.

5) Which vaccine will I have?

Most people in the community will not receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which is being delivered in phase 1a. You will most likely be offered the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine, as it seems to give good protection and appears that it will most likely be the next vaccine to be rolled out to the wider community.

It is entirely different, easier to handle, based off existing technology, and can be produced in Australia.

6) Can I have the flu vaccine too?

Yes you can, but it is advised that you space them at least two weeks apart – either before you commence the COVID-19 vaccination or two weeks after the second dose – so as to ensure a maximal immune response to both vaccines.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (also known as COMIRNATY), has been shown to prevent severe COVID-19 infection and death.

Does the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine do the same?

Yes, they are both very good at providing protection from severe disease and even death from COVID-19, which is why they are high on the list of vaccine candidates for Australians.

We believe that neither of the vaccines will prevent the spread of COVID-19 between people who are carrying the virus silently, but not sick with it. That’s why social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks in close spaces will remain in place for a while longer until we get the spread of disease under control. 

7) What about the other vaccines? Should I wait for those rather than have the one I am being offered?

Other vaccines are on their way to being approved here also and it might seem confusing or scary to think that this process has come so far so rapidly.

Of the 200 vaccine trials, only a handful have made it to the final phases of testing, and the technology that exists now is very different to the technology that existed 5–10 years ago.

If you think about your mobile phone today and compare it to what you were using five or 10 years ago that should give you an idea of the rate of technological progress made.

You can be assured that the vaccines Australia will approve will work and will have the highest possible safety profile.

We are fortunate that we can produce the vaccine – the AstraZeneca candidate – out of Australia and we should take the opportunity to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the crisis we are seeing unfold in the UK, USA, Brazil, India and other countries.