The Conversation: Let’s hold off vaccinating children and teens against COVID-19. Prioritising adults is our best shot for now
Some countries who have successfully vaccinated a high proportion of their adult population are now shifting the focus of their COVID-19 vaccine rollout towards children and adolescents.
The following article reviews various international vaccine strategies for the younger population, and explores COVID-19 vaccine safety, including expected vaccine side effects and reports of myocarditis and pericarditis in adolescents. It looks at the potential impact that vaccination of children could have on transmission, herd immunity and keeping schools open.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises that globally the vaccine rollout has been slow and inequitable. Low income countries have insufficient vaccine supplies to protect high-priority groups.
In Australia where rates of COVID-19 community transmission is low, it is important that efforts remain on maximising vaccine coverage for adults and those who are at highest risk of severe COVID-19 disease.
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Australia's COVID-19 vaccine coverage update- July 5 2021
The Australian Government Department of Health continue to publish information relating to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout; including data on population coverage.
Latest figures show that 71.64% of Victorians aged 70 years and over have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with 16% having completed both recommended doses.
To view these statistics and read other information relating to vaccine distribution and uptake, please refer to:
Australian Government Department of Health: Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout
The Conversation: Should I get my second AstraZeneca dose? Yes, it almost doubles your protection against Delta
With the most recent COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns currently going on across the country, there is pressure to speed up Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine roll out.
It is reported that over six million Australians (30% of those eligible) have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 3.8 million of those receiving their first dose as AstraZeneca. While the benefits of vaccination are well known, there are reports of people cancelling their appointments for dose 2 due to concerns about thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).
Current UK data suggests that the risk of developing TTS is far lower following dose 2 AstraZeneca, with a rate of approximately 1 in 1.5 million doses.
Completing a 2 dose course of COVID-19 vaccines is important in order to reach optimal levels of protection. One dose of COVID-19 AstraZeneca offers 33% protection against the Delta strain of the virus currently circulating Sydney. This protection almost doubles to 60% once the second dose has been completed.
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The Conversation: Should I get my second AstraZeneca dose? Yes, it almost doubles your protection against Delta
TGA grants provisional determination for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, Elasomeran
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has granted provisional determination to Moderna Australia Pty Ltd for their COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Elasomeran. It is being considered for use in those aged 12 years or older for active immunisation to prevent COVID-19 disease. It is an mRNA vaccine requiring two doses, given 28 days apart.
Granting provisional determination means that Moderna Australia Pty Ltd is now eligible to apply for provisional registration. Following the provisional pathway provides a formal and transparent mechanism for speeding up the registration of promising new medicines with preliminary clinical data.
Provisional determination is only granted once the TGA has considered all eligibility criteria, including evidence of a plan to submit comprehensive clinical data.
You can read the press release from the TGA below:
TGA grants provisional determination for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, Elasomeran
For more information on the process of COVID-19 vaccine provisional approval please refer to our reference page:
MVEC: Provisional registration of COVID-19 vaccine(s) in Australia
The Conversation: What’s Australia’s first local Pfizer-style COVID vaccine? And when might it be in our arms? An mRNA expert explains
A research team at Monash University are working on developing Australia’s first mRNA vaccine candidate, with phase 1 trials set to begin in October or November this year.
Although the vaccine under development works by the same principles as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines by using a genetic code called RNA to spark the production of the coronavirus’s specific spike protein, there are key notable differences.
Firstly, the Monash mRNA vaccine directs cells to make a small part of the spike protein, the receptor binding domain. The receptor binding domain is the tip of the spike protein which is the part that is mutating to form new variants of COVID disease. Targeting this part of the spike protein allows variant-specific responses, for which there is a strong clinical need.
Secondly, existing vaccines are modelled on the original strain of the virus first detected in Wuhan, however, the Monash mRNA vaccine has since been changed to sequence the Beta strain – a strain which was first detected in South Africa for which vaccines created from the original variant are less effective.
This highlights the flexibility of mRNA vaccines with sequences being able to be changed and adapted to new variants that have emerged and that may emerge in the future.
Plans are underway for the vaccine to be developed locally, an important step in developing Australia’s capacity for mRNA vaccine production and the newly developing Australian RNA biotechnology sector overall.
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The Conversation: What’s Australia’s first local Pfizer-style COVID vaccine? And when might it be in our arms? An mRNA expert explains
PHN Webinar: Primary care identification and management of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS)
The PHN will be hosting a webinar for GPs on Wednesday 30 June featuring a panel of expert speakers including MVEC’s A/Prof Nigel Crawford. The topic for the webinar is Primary care identification and management of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) 并将涵盖：
- pathogenesis
- latest incidence rates in age groups
- incidence of different TTS clinical types
- presentation and identification
- GP management guidelines.
有关注册的更多信息和详细信息，请访问以下链接：
RACGP: Government announces new vaccine counselling MBS item number
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced the introduction of a newly-created MBS item in response to rising vaccine hesitancy related to widespread reporting the rare condition, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, following receipt of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine. The new Medicare item, known as the Level B equivalent, will provide patients over 50 with a $38.75 rebate when receiving COVID vaccine counselling from their GP.
The introduction of this scheme will allow more time for GPs to address patient concerns and provide support in making informed decisions seen as crucial to boosting vaccination rates.
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RACGP: Government announces new vaccine counselling MBS item number
ATAGI 关于使用 COVID-19 疫苗阿斯利康的修订建议声明，2021 年 6 月 17 日
ATAGI has revised the recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination within Australia.
Due to a higher risk and severity of thrombosis with thrombycytopenia syndrome (TTS) related to the use of COVID-19 AstraZeneca, Comirnaty™ is now the preferred COVID-19 vaccine for individuals aged 16-59 years. Due to the risk of severe outcomes related to COVID-19 disease for individuals aged 60 years and over, the benefits of vaccination in preventing disease outweighs the risk of developing TTS.
Individuals aged less than 60 years who have received their first dose of COVID-19 AstraZeneca without any serious adverse events (eg. anaphylaxis or TTS) should continue to receive their second dose.
For more information please refer to the link below:
ATAGI 关于使用 COVID-19 疫苗阿斯利康的修订建议声明，2021 年 6 月 17 日
纽约时报：耗资数十亿美元的计划很快就会结束脊髓灰质炎
全球根除脊髓灰质炎行动宣布了一项 $51 亿美元的计划，到 2026 年在全球范围内根除脊髓灰质炎。2021 年 8 月，非洲国家宣布消灭野生脊髓灰质炎，阿富汗和巴基斯坦成为仅存的地方病国家。由于资金不足和缺乏政治承诺，以前在实现无脊髓灰质炎世界方面取得的成功有限。冠状病毒大流行增加了更多挑战，导致一些脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种计划停止。
新计划将侧重于两个关键目标：将脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种计划与其他医疗保健计划相结合，并重点关注免疫接种率长期较低的地区。该计划还确保疫苗供应并概述了提高疫苗接受度的沟通策略。除此之外，还引入了一种新的口服疫苗，并被认为可以最大限度地降低疫苗引起的脊髓灰质炎的风险。
根除脊髓灰质炎计划的一个关键重点是为难以到达的社区提供免疫接种，并培训年长的女性卫生工作者，她们更能成功地说服护理人员为孩子接种疫苗。为了恢复将根除脊髓灰质炎作为优先事项，即使在这些现金匮乏的国家面临竞争激烈的健康挑战，专家认为，旨在消灭脊髓灰质炎的计划也可用于帮助管理 COVID-19 和其他疾病。
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纽约时报：耗资数十亿美元的计划很快就会结束脊髓灰质炎
美国广播公司：随着阿斯利康的供应即将到期，巴布亚新几内亚想出了创造性的方法来为人们接种疫苗
巴布亚新几内亚 (PNG) 的 COVID-19 疫苗接种速度缓慢，据信是由于错误信息的影响。随着阿斯利康 (AstraZeneca) 的 COVID-19 疫苗库存即将到期，我们采取了一些创造性举措来提高疫苗的使用量。
这些举措包括开发巴布亚新几内亚第一个移动疫苗接种单位——一辆黄色巴士。巴士将疫苗运送到社区，使当地人能够看到疫苗接种过程的实际情况。
疫苗接种所需的所有用品、疫苗和应急设备都可以通过巴士运往村庄，其中一些村庄没有自己的卫生诊所。这项由社区主导的举措使人们能够向医疗服务提供者寻求信息，以克服犹豫和错误信息并接种疫苗。
随着广泛的社区传播，重点仍然是鼓励医护人员以及符合条件的社区成员（例如老年人和患有合并症的人）接种疫苗。
要了解有关巴布亚新几内亚的 COVID-19 疫苗推出和移动疫苗接种单位的更多信息，请参阅以下链接：
美国广播公司：随着阿斯利康的供应即将到期，巴布亚新几内亚想出了创造性的方法来为人们接种疫苗