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
A recording of the 30th August CVU mini is now available
Thank you to all who attended our recent CVU miniseries event Matters of the heart: Myocarditis and pericarditis associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccination on 30th August 2021.
This interactive webinar took an in-depth look at an important vaccine safety signal associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna).
A recording of this event is now available via our education portal.
To access this recording please follow the link below:
MVEC animation: Myocarditis, pericarditis and COVID-19 vaccines
MVEC have created a new animation to help explain myocarditis and pericarditis which have been reported in a small number of individuals who have received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines Comirnaty™ and Moderna.
To view the animation and to find out more information, please refer to our myocarditis, pericarditis following COVID-19 mRNA vaccines immunisation reference page:
MVEC animation: Myocarditis and pericarditis following COVID-19 mRNA vaccines
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
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
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.
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
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:
Updated MVEC reference page: COVID-19 vaccination in children
We have updated our COVID-19 vaccination in children page to reflect the statement by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) regarding vaccination of adolescents aged 12-15 years.
The following groups of children among those aged 12–15 years are to be prioritised for vaccination using the Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine:
- Children with specified medical conditions that increase their risk of severe COVID-19 (including severe asthma, diabetes, obesity, cardiac and circulatory congenital anomalies, neuro developmental disorders, epilepsy, immuno-compromised and trisomy 21)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 12–15 years
- All children aged 12–15 years in remote communities, as part of broader community outreach vaccination programs that provide vaccines for all ages (≥12 years).
To find out more information, please refer to our dedicated MVEC COVID-19 vaccination in children page in the link below.
MVEC COVID-19 vaccination in children page
COSSI webinar video now available - Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination webinar
A recording of the recent COSSI webinar Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination is now available. The webinar was held on 26 July and discusses the policy, behavioural, ethical and epidemiological aspects of mandating COVID-19 vaccination.
To view the recording, please click on the link below:
COSSI webinar video now available - Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination webinar