COVID-19 vaccines: time to talk about the uncertainties

In the following article, Kanta Subbarao, director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne, discusses the unknowns that lie ahead as we plan for the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine. Community engagement and transparency will be key to a successful vaccination campaign. Professor Subbarao touches on public involvement and the idea of "citizen juries" to participate in discussions on the risks and benefits of COVID-19 vaccines and who should receive the vaccine first.

To read the article in full please follow the link below:

Nature: COVID-19 vaccines: time to talk about the uncertainties

Professor Subbarao was recently a guest on our COVID19: Road to a vaccine podcast series. To listen to her episode please refer to the following link:

COVID19: Road to a vaccine


Advance purchase agreements: what does that mean?

The Australian Government has made a number of advance purchase agreements in order to ensure that Australians have access to COVID-19 vaccines once they are proven to be safe and effective.

The following document from the European Commission, outlines what an advance purchase agreement entails and the negotiation process behind it:

Questions and Answers: Coronavirus and the EU Vaccines Strategy

 


December CVU tickets are now available for purchase

Tickets are now available for our first virtual Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU). This will be an all-day event held on December 7 2020.

We are excited to welcome both local and international presenters covering a wide range of immunisation topics.

To view a draft program of the day's events, and for ticketing information, please follow the link below:

Clinical Vaccinology Update: December 7 2020


Who pays compensation if a COVID-19 vaccine has rare side-effects? Here's the little we know about Australia's new deal

In the recent federal budget, the Australian Government revealed it would provide indemnity against liability for both the AstraZeneca Oxford  and the University of Queensland COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Should either vaccine be approved, and if rare side-effects occur, the government will be responsible for providing compensation. Vaccine compensation schemes currently exist in many countries however, at present Australia is not one of them.

The following article, published in The Conversation, outlines what is known about the proposed indemnity deal and what it means for Australians.

To read the article in full follow the link below:

The Conversation: Who pays compensation if a COVID-19 vaccine has rare side-effects? Here's the little we know about Australia's new deal


New immunisation reference page: The Royal Children's Hospital COVID-19 follow-up clinic

Our new reference page provides details on the COVID-19 follow-up clinic at The Royal Children's Hospital, which aims to provide support, acute care and long-term follow-up to COVID-19 positive children and their families. For further information, including how to refer children to the service, please follow the link below:

MVEC: The Royal Children's Hospital COVID-19 follow-up clinic 


The New York Times: She hunts viral rumors about real viruses

In the following article by the New York Times, Anthropologist and Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, Professor Heidi Larson, suggests that vaccine hesitancy is not a byproduct of misinformation, but represents a problem with trust. Heidi's research focuses on what factors undermine vaccine acceptance and immunisation uptake across the globe. She suggests that in order to build trust, health care providers need to focus communication strategies on answering the questions being asked and not just providing scientific information and public health recommendations.

Read the article in full below:

The New York Times: She hunts viral rumors about real viruses

Heidi was recently a special guest on our COVID-19 Road to a vaccine podcast series. To listen to Heidi's episode follow the below link to our podcast page:

COVID19 Road to a vaccine


AJGP, October 2020: a focus on immunisation

The October 2020 edition of the Australian Journal of General Practice covers important topics in immunisation including:

  • Immunisation and allergy in children and adults: A case based approach
  • Seizures following vaccination in children: Risks, outcomes and management of subsequent revaccination
  • Preparing the public for COVID-19 vaccines: How can general practitioners build vaccine confidence and optimise uptake for themselves and their patients?
  • Maternal vaccinations
  • BCG : An update on current Australian practices

Read the articles in full below:

Australian Journal of General Practice, October 2020

 


Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) COVID-19 Working Group

The role of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) is to provide independent advice to the Minister for Health on all matters relating to immunisation in Australia. In September 2020 ATAGI convened a new SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) working group. The key objectives of this group are to provide advice on COVID-19 immunisation programs and policies, to improve confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines as they become available in Australia.

To learn more, please see below:

Australian Government Department of Health: Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) COVID-19 Working Group


Save the date for our first virtual Clinical Vaccinology Update!

MVEC is excited to announce that our first virtual Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) will be held on December 7, 2020.

Program details and ticketing information will be announced shortly. 


EMA starts first rolling review of a COVID-19 vaccine in the EU

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has begun a "rolling review" of the AstraZeneca Oxford SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate. Normal regulatory processes for medicines involve the submission of all safety and efficacy data to the Agency at the completion of clinical trials. A "rolling review" means that the Agency can begin evaluating data as it becomes available. By employing this method of approval, the regulation process will maintain its usual quality and safety standards, but be shorter than the usual process due to the time gained by reviewing data as it becomes available. 

To learn more please read below:

EMA starts first rolling review of a COVID-19 vaccine in the EU