ATAGI advice on use of sedation for COVID-19 vaccination
ATAGI has provided guidance regarding the use of sedation in individuals with anxiety disorders, needle phobia or behavioural disorders, to assist vaccine providers in delivering COVID-19 vaccines.
The advice outlines:
- indications for sedation
- safety implications of delivering vaccines under sedation
- procedural sedation guidelines
- post-vaccination observation recommendations
- opportunistic vaccination during sedation for an unrelated procedure
To read the ATAGI recommendations in full, please click on the link below:
ATAGI advice on use of sedation for COVID-19 vaccination
For further information on strategies to manage needle phobia and immunisation, including sedation, please click on the link below:
MVEC: Needle phobia
Registrations now open for the April CVU mini event
MVEC's first Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) miniseries event of the year on Winter preparedness: COVID-19 and influenza will be held virtually on Thursday 28th April 2022. This CVU mini will provide an update on:
- COVID-19 vaccines: keeping up-to-date
- Winter COVID-19 booster dose and flu administration for the elderly
- Influenza: a post COVID-19 landscape
Further details can be found via our Events page and the link below:
Moderna: COVID-19 Vaccine Phase 2/3 Study in Children 6 Months to ≤ 6 Years successfully meets its primary endpoint
Moderna has announced interim data from the Phase 2/3 KidCOVE COVID-19 vaccine study ahead of its submission to global regulatory bodies.
Approximately 4,200 children aged 2 to <6 years and 2,500 children aged 6 months to <2 years were recruited across the U.S. and Canada with participants receiving 2 doses of 25 μg, 28 days apart (a lower dose compared with older age groups).
Moderna reports immunogenicity consistent with that seen in adults (18-25 years) receiving doses of 100mcg with a vaccine efficacy of 43.7% in those aged 6 months to <2 years and 37.5% in those aged 2 to <6 years. Omicron was the predominant COVID-19 strain circulating during this trial.
Adverse events following vaccination were reported as mild or moderate and more frequently associated with dose two. No deaths, myocarditis, pericarditis, or cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) were reported. Independent safety monitoring will continue for 12 months following the second dose.
To read the press release in full, please click on the link below:
COVID-19 Vaccine Phase 2/3 Study in Children 6 Months to ≤ 6 Years successfully meets its primary endpoint
ATAGI clinical guidance on Japanese encephalitis virus vaccines
ATAGI have released new guidance for healthcare providers regarding the administration of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccines. These recommendations follow on from earlier advice from CDNA identifying the groups at highest risk of disease and who should be prioritised for vaccination.
The guidance includes:
- vaccine brand and dosing recommendations
- priority populations
- advice for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
- booster doses
- co-administration with other vaccines
- common and expected side effects following vaccination
To read the ATAGI recommendations in full, please click on the link below:
ATAGI clinical guidance on Japanese encephalitis virus vaccines
For further information on JEV, including background on disease and common vaccine questions, please click on the link below:
MVEC: JEV
Updated immunisation reference page: Rotavirus
MVEC's Rotavirus immunisation reference page has been updated with further information on:
- rotavirus disease
- vaccine dosing schedules and age limits
- common and rarer side effects, as well as their management
- precautions and contraindications to vaccination.
To view the page in full, follow the link below:
ATAGI statement on recommendations on a winter booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine
As part of winter preparedness, ATAGI have provided recommendations for an additional COVID-19 vaccine winter booster dose for select groups who have been identified as being at highest risk of severe COVID-19 disease. These groups include:
- individuals aged ≥ 65 years
- residents of aged care or disability care facilities
- individuals aged ≥ 16 years with severe immunocompromise
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged ≥ 50 years.
The rollout of winter booster doses will commence from April in line with the 2022 influenza vaccination program, with both vaccines able to be co-administered where appropriate. Winter booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines can be administered from ≥ 4 months since the previous booster dose/confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (whichever is later).
mRNA vaccines (Comirnaty (Pfizer) or Spikevax (Moderna)) remain the recommended brands for use as booster doses, with Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) available for those who have a contraindication to mRNA vaccines. Nuvaxovid (Novavax) may be used in circumstances where no other vaccine brand is deemed suitable.
ATAGI suggests that there is currently insufficient evidence at this time to support a recommendation for additional boosters for other individuals. For these groups, protection from a primary course of COVID-19 vaccine followed by 1 booster dose continues to provide good protection against hospitalisation with COVID-19 disease. Further recommendations may be considered in the future as more evidence emerges.
To read the advice in full please follow the link below.
ATAGI statement on recommendations on a winter booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases webinar recording now available: JEV outbreak in Australia - important insight for clinicians
A recording of the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases webinar: JEV outbreak in Australia - important insight for clinicians is now available.
The Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases (ASID) and Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists (ANZAN) welcomed a panel of expert speakers to discuss the current JEV outbreak in Australia on Thursday 17 March.
To access the recording, please click on the link below:
For additional information regarding JEV, please refer to our MVEC reference page:
Save the date for our first CVU mini event for 2022: Thursday 28 April 2022
MVEC invites you to Save the Date for first CVU mini for 2022!
Date: Thursday 28 April, 2022
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm AEST
Further details and registration information will be available soon on our Events page and Education Portal.
To keep up to date with our latest news, including upcoming events, you can subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Vocal cord dysfunction/inducible laryngeal obstruction(s) mimicking anaphylaxis during SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccination
Researchers at Monash Health have published findings related to vocal cord dysfunction/inducible laryngeal obstruction(s) (VCD/ILO) in relation to incident-associated VCD which may be related to vaccination.
Their findings are related to a case series of ten individuals who were initially labelled as having experienced anaphylaxis following COVID-19 vaccination. These individuals were referred on to a specialist allergy service, where 9 out of the 10 received a second dose of the same COVID-19 vaccine that caused their initial reaction. It was found that 2 out of the 10 individuals met the Brighton Criteria for anaphylaxis, and symptoms recurred in 8 of the 9 individuals who received a second dose, mirroring their initial reactions which had been diagnosed as anaphylaxis.
Clinical features of VCD/ILO overlap with those of the Brighton Criteria for vaccine-related anaphylaxis, with this research demonstrating the need for providers to be able to differentiate between anaphylaxis and VCD/ILO.
To read the article in full, please follow the link below:
For further information on how to differentiate between anaphylaxis and an acute stress response, refer to the animation on the MVEC: Allergy and Immunisation reference page.
Updated immunisation reference pages: Influenza and Influenza vaccine: frequently asked questions
MVEC’s influenza resources have been updated in line with ATAGI's advice on seasonal influenza vaccines in 2022. Information contained in these pages includes dosing and brand advice (including information on cell-based vaccines), co-administration of influenza vaccines with other vaccines, recommendations in pregnancy, immunosuppressed individuals and the elderly, as well as eligibility for funded doses.
Our FAQ’s provide answers to commonly asked questions relating to influenza vaccines and their administration.
For more information please follow the links below:
MVEC: Influenza
MVEC: Influenza vaccine: frequently asked questions