Moderna pharmacy appointments available via online booking platforms
As community pharmacies begin administering Moderna vaccines across the country, listed below are two available booking platforms that may assist with locating your nearest community pharmacy, and their availability for a vaccine appointment.
MVEC are not affiliated with the sites and the information should be used as a guide only.
You can view the booking platforms via the links below.
Find a Pharmacy
Covid19Nearme
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:
- An update on the latest ATAGI announcements
- Moderna safety data
- The booster debate
- Back to school
To listen to the lecture in full, click on the link below:
Healthed lecture series 28 September: COVID-19 Update
New immunisation reference page: COVID-19 mandatory vaccination directions in Victoria
Due to the potential for high levels of disease transmission and an increased risk of severe disease in vulnerable groups, COVID-19 vaccination has been made mandatory for specific workplaces/industries within Victoria.
Our new reference page outlines the current COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Directions Order in place in Victoria, including an overview of the responsibilities for both employers and employees, as well as information regarding the medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines.
To read more follow the link below:
MVEC: COVID-19 mandatory vaccination directions in Victoria
ATAGI statement about the need for additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has released a statement about the need for additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
The statement strongly recommends maximising first and second dose vaccine uptake across the community without delay in line with current prioritisation and outbreak response strategies and that two doses of any of the vaccines available in Australia have been shown to protect an individual from COVID-19 and its complications, as well as protecting the community.
ATAGI continues to closely monitor local and international data about the frequency and severity of COVID-19 in fully vaccinated individuals as well as reviewing the international data on the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of additional doses for specific high-risk patient populations, including immunocompromised individuals, and the population more generally. These data will inform future strategies regarding additional vaccine doses.
Additional doses can be defined as:
- Third doses: Additional COVID-19 doses required as part of the primary course to reach a comparable (optimal) level of protection
- Booster dose: Additional COVID-19 doses required at a broader population level, to optimise protection due to waning of immunity (loss of protection) over time, with booster doses also leading to improved immune memory.
To read the statement in full, please click the link below:
ATAGI statement about the need for additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines
Webinar recording now available: The Alfred community information session on COVID-19 vaccines
A webinar recording is now available from The Alfred’s community information session on COVID-19 vaccines which was held on Tuesday 21 September.
In this session, Allen Cheng and Associate Professor Nigel Crawford discuss in detail the COVID-19 vaccines, including the safety and efficacy in children over 12 years old, as well as answer questions from the community.
The full recording is available on The Alfred channels or the MVEC Facebook page via the links below:
The Alfred community discussion 21 September
MVEC Facebook page
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?