ABC News: Pfizer to apply for approval for COVID-19 vaccine to be used for five to 11 year-old children
Initial results from the highly anticipated trial involving more than 2,000 children studying the effectiveness and safety of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 have shown the vaccine is safe and establishes a strong antibody response against the virus.
Despite the initial promising results, it will be some time before an official rollout of vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 both in the US and here in Australia. Once the analysis of the trial is completed, in order to be granted approval, the company is required to provide the FDA with a formal immune “bridging” study which provides data-based evidence that children developed the same antibody levels already proven to be protective in older children and teenagers. The results will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review and emergency use authorisation.
To read the article in full, please click on the link below:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-21/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-5-to-11-year-old/100478362
Chest Pain Guideline updated in MVEC myocarditis/pericarditis following mRNA vaccines pages
We have updated our COVID-19 FAQs regarding myocarditis/pericarditis following mRNA vaccines page to include the new Chest Pain Guidelines.
PREDICT and ACEM, in consultation with the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), the NZ Immunisation Advisory Centre, and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) have developed a brief guideline on an approach to the initial assessment and workup of children and adolescents presenting to the ED with vaccine-related symptoms.
To read the guidelines, please refer to the following MVEC pages:
MVEC: COVID-19 FAQs page: myocarditis/pericarditis following mRNA vaccines
MVEC: Myocarditis/pericarditis following mRNA vaccines reference page
PHN Webinar: Primary Care Management of Myocarditis and Pericarditis After mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines
The PHN will be hosting a webinar for GPs on Tuesday 28 September featuring a panel of expert speakers including MVEC’s A/Prof Nigel Crawford, Dr. Scott Parsons GP Clinical Editor, HealthPathways Melbourne and Dr. Bryn Jones Deputy Director of Cardiology, Royal Children’s Hospital. The topic for the webinar is Primary Care Management of Myocarditis and Pericarditis After mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines and will cover:
- Identification and assessment of myocarditis and pericarditis following mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination
- Understanding management and referral guidelines
Further information and details on registration can be found via the link below:
PHN webinar: Primary Care Management of Myocarditis and Pericarditis After mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines
New resource: The MVEC Conversation: myocarditis/pericarditis following mRNA vaccines
Following on from our CVU mini virtual event: Matters of the heart: myocarditis and pericarditis associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccination, The Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre is excited to announce our latest resource The MVEC Conversation: myocarditis/pericarditis following mRNA vaccines.
This vodcast takes a deeper look into this adverse event of special interest (AESI) and features special guest Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, the deputy director of the Immunization Safety Office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, in conversation with Dr Daryl Cheng and Associate Professor Nigel Crawford.
To find out more about this resource, please visit our MVEC Events page.
ABC News: Israel is struggling with COVID-19, despite high vaccination rates. What lessons can Australia learn?
Due to an early and rapid vaccine roll-out, Israel was leading the way for COVID-19 immunisation, with nearly 80 per cent of its citizens aged 12 and over fully inoculated by June. However, cases numbers and rates of hospitalisations began to rapidly rise again by late June with Israel recording its highest single-day spike with 16,011 new infections on September 1.
As Australia works its way towards reopening, this article discusses the important lessons we can learn from Israel's vaccination program. Professor Lewin, Director of The Doherty Institute commented "What we've learned from [Israel], and what's consistent with the modelling is that even at 80 per cent, you need to have some public health measures in place to contain the transmission,"
To read the article in full, please click on the link below:
ABC News: Israel is struggling with COVID-19, despite high vaccination rates. What lessons can Australia learn?
Commonwealth-funded places available for Nurse Immuniser course
There are limited places available for Registered Nurses (RNs) with one year of clinical experience to complete the Commonwealth-funded Nurse Immuniser short course free of charge (conditions apply).
The immunisation (Nurse immuniser) short course is based on the National Immunisation Education Framework for Health Professionals (2017) and has been accredited by the National body for health education Health Education Services Australia (HESA).
To find out more information on this course, please click on the links below. Please note some allocations have been exhausted.
The University of Melbourne: The immunisation (Nurse immuniser) short course
Benchmarque Group Immunisation Endorsement Pathway
ABC News: Another 1 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccines doses coming to Australia after EU deal
1 million doses of the Moderna vaccine which have been secured from European nations are to be sent directly to community pharmacies across the country this week. The announcement is in line with advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
On announcing the latest deal, the government has confirmed that there was now enough vaccine for everyone still waiting for a jab to be offered one in October. In addition to this, from the week of September 20, approximately 1,800 community pharmacies across the country will receive Moderna doses, with an additional 1,800 to receive Moderna doses after that.
To read the article in full, click on the link below.
ABC News: Another 1 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccines doses coming to Australia after EU deal
The Age: ‘Jabba the Bus’ to take regional vaccination drive onto the road
Jabba the bus brings about exciting news for COVID-19 vaccination in regional Victoria. The mobile vaccine hub will deliver essential AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines to isolated residents of regional Victoria. The focus will be on the City of Greater Shepparton as well as Moira, Benalla, Strathbogie, Mitchell, Mansfield Murrindindi and Campaspe.
A high sense of urgency perpetuated the need for the mobile vaccination hub following a large COVID-19 outbreak in Shepparton which forced more than 20 000 people into isolation, including more than 500 staff from Goulburn Valley Health. Goulburn Valley Health Chief executive Matt Sharp indicated that currently, only 45 per cent of people had received even their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while an increasingly more alarming rate of just 26 per cent received their second dose.
The mobile vaccination station, which is the first service of its’ kind in the state represents a promising opportunity to increase vaccine uptake amongst groups of people who otherwise may not have access to the vaccine and includes easy accessibility for people with disabilities.
Full article:
The Age: The Age: ‘Jabba the Bus’ to take regional vaccination drive onto the road
New immunisation reference page: Neutropenia: Vaccine recommendations for children with chronic neutropenia
Children with neutropenia are at increased risk of bacterial and fungal infections and therefore preventing infections in this group is a priority in order to protect these children against vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs). However, this patient group is not addressed in The Australian Immunisation Handbook.
Our new reference page, Neutropenia: vaccine recommendations for children with chronic neutropenia discusses the recommendations for this group based on international guidelines and local consensus.
To read more follow the link below:
MVEC: New immunisation reference page: Neutropenia: Vaccine recommendations for children with chronic neutropenia
TGA Provisional Approval of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to include 12-17 years age group
On September 4 2021, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) granted provisional approval to Moderna Australia Pty Ltd for its COVID-19 vaccine—Spikevax (elasomeran) to include the 12-17 years age group. This decision follows the provisional approval granted by the TGA to Spikevax on 9 August 2021 for use in individuals aged 18 years and older.
To find out more information, please refer to our dedicated MVEC Moderna COVID-19 vaccination page in the link below:
MVEC Moderna COVID-19 vaccination page