Federal Government Announces No Fault COVID-19 Indemnity Scheme

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced the details of the no fault COVID-19 Vaccine Claim Scheme following extensive consultation with the peak medical, healthcare, business and insurance sectors to ensure a comprehensive National Scheme.

The purpose of the Scheme will be to provide Australians with quick access to compensation for COVID-19 claims related to the administration of a Therapeutic Goods Administration approved COVID-19 vaccine delivered through a Commonwealth Government approved program.

From 6 September Australians who suffer injury and loss of income due to their COVID-19 vaccine will be able to register their intent to claim from the COVID-19 vaccine claims scheme webpage.

To read more, follow the link below:
Federal Government Announcement: No Fault COVID-19 Indemnity Scheme


ATAGI recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in all young adolescents in Australia

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has released recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in all young adolescents in Australia.

The advice recommends children aged 12-15 be vaccinated against COVID-19 using Comirnaty (Pfizer).

A summary of ATAGI recommendations includes:

  • Vaccination against COVID-19 is recommended for all individuals from 12 years of age, extending the current recommendation for those aged 16 years and older.
  • A two-dose schedule using Comirnaty (Pfizer), the only vaccine currently registered for use in Australia in this age group, is recommended.
  • Recommendations on the use of Spikevax (Moderna) for adolescents will be finalised following the decision on provisional registration of Spikevax (Moderna) in this age group.

To read the statement in full, please click the link below:
ATAGI recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in all young adolescents in Australia


FDA news release: FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 16 years of age and above. The mRNA vaccine was first approved under emergency use authorisation back in December 2020, and is currently the first and only COVID-19 vaccine to receive full authorisation for use.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement the FDA's approval "affirms the efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine at a time when it is urgently needed."

All FDA-approved vaccines undergo a rigorous standard process for reviewing the quality, safety, and effectiveness. For Comirnaty, new clinical data is used in conjunction with existing information submitted during the initial EUA stage. The FDA’s approval process concluded that the vaccine was 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease based on the evaluation of approximately 20,000 vaccine recipients as well as 20,000 placebo recipients aged 16 years and above. Furthermore, to better assess the long term safety outcomes, approximately 12,000 recipients were monitored for an additional 6 months following their second dose of the vaccine. Conclusively, results suggest that the vaccines show an increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly among males under the age of 40, following their second jab. The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with the company will continue to monitor the safety and effectiveness of the Comirnaty vaccines, to ensure any concerns continue to be identified and evaluated in a timely manner.

To read the full article, click on the link below:
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine


MCRI's Professor Fiona Russell joins ABC Q+A host, Virgina Trioli tonight at 8:30pm AEST

MCRI's Professor Fiona Russell joins ABC Q+A host, Virginia Trioli, tonight at 8:30pm AEST for an important discussion around the COVID-19 Delta variant, lockdowns and their impact on children, teens and young people.

For more details, please click on the link below:
ABC Q+A


CVU mini event 30th August 2021 - Reminder to register

A reminder to register for our next Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) mini event: Matters of the heart: Myocarditis and pericarditis associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccination on Monday 30th August 2021, at 7pm AEST.

To view the full program and to register for this event, please visit our Events page.

A recording of Matters of the heart: Myocarditis and pericarditis associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccination will be available on our Education Portal following the event.


Independent: 'A potential first step forward’: Moderna to launch human trials for new HIV vaccines

A positive development in the immunisation space as American biotech company, Moderna is prepared to commence human trials for their new HIV vaccines.

The company will apply the same mRNA technology they successfully used against the COVID-19 virus, hoping to break new grounds fighting another deadly disease. This turning point has been described as a “potential first step forward” in protecting people from becoming infected with HIV. However, due to the elevated complexity of the HIV virus, scientists warn there is still a long way to go before mRNA technology can be used to provide long-lasting protection.

The aim of the Moderna mRNA vaccines is to prompt an immune response by introducing broadly neutralising antibodies. It is believed that multiple vaccines will be required to overcome key challenges and generate a sufficient response. Moderna is set to recruit 56 healthy people between the ages of 18 to 50 years of age to participate in their phase 1 trial which is anticipated to run until May 2023.

To read the article in full, please click on the link below:
Independent: 'A potential first step forward’: Moderna to launch human trials for new HIV vaccines


People aged 16 - 39 in a priority group now eligible for the Pfizer vaccine

The Australian Government has expanded the vaccine eligibility criteria to allow people aged 16-39 in a priority group to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

To learn more about eligibility for 16 to 39 year-olds in the COVID-19 vaccination program, please click on the link below.
The Australian Government COVID-19 vaccination program for 16 to 39 year olds.


Healthed lecture series featuring Associate Professor Nigel Crawford

MVEC’s Associate Professor Nigel Crawford delivered the COVID-19 Update as part of the recent Healthed Australia online lecture series.

In this lecture, A/Prof Nigel Crawford discussed the following:

  • The role of ATAGI and its relevance to the current pandemic
  • Overview of the newly available Moderna vaccination
  • Rationale and evidence behind the upcoming push for vaccinating children 12 yrs of age and older
  • Update on the clinical features and management pathways for Pfizer-related myocarditis, pericarditis
  • AZ-related clots
  • Lessons learnt from other countries dealing with the Delta pandemic

To listen to the lecture in full, click on the link below:
Healthed lecture series 18th August: COVID Update


The Medical Journal of Australia podcast: COVID-19 in children

MVEC's Associate Professor Nigel Crawford and Dr Laila Ibrahim, paediatrician and researcher at the Royal Children's Hospital feature on the latest edition of the Medical Journal of Australia podcast.

In this podcast, Nigel and Laila discuss COVID-19 in children, to accompany their co-authored research focused on examining the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive children in Australia during 2020.

You can listen to the podcast here:
MJA Podcast: Episode 33: COVID-19 in children, with Dr Laila Ibrahim and Dr Nigel Crawford


Registrations now open for the August CVU mini event

The next Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) miniseries event, Matters of the heart: Myocarditis and pericarditis associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccination, will be held virtually on Monday 30th August 2021.

We are excited to welcome our panel who will take an in-depth look at an important vaccine safety signal associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna), myocarditis and pericarditis. The session will also include a live Q&A panel with experts from the medical, consumer (Heart Foundation) and vaccine safety domains.

Further details can be found via our Events page and the link below:

CVU mini: August 30th 2021