Preparing for the covid-19 vaccine roll out

Healthcare professionals have an important role in discussing and delivering vaccination against COVID-19 with their patients.

The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be available from mid-February this year.

Doses of this vaccine will be available through 30 to 50 hubs at specific hospital sites across urban and rural Australia.

Approval of the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is anticipated for the coming months.

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will progressively be distributed through an expanded number of sites, including general practice clinics, existing Commonwealth GP respiratory clinics, state-run vaccination clinics and pharmacies.

The vaccine rollout roadmap has determined the phases of vaccination for priority groups. They are:

Phase 1a

• Quarantine and border workers
• Frontline at-risk health care workers*
• Residential aged care and disability care staff
• Residential aged care and disability care residents.

Phase 1b

• Adults over 70 years
• All other health care workers (including those working at hospitals, general practice, pharmacy, allied health and community health services)
• Begin vaccinating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 55 and over
• People at increased risk of severe disease e.g. people with an underlying medical condition or with a disability
• Critical and high risk workers including defence, police, fire, emergency services and meat processing.

Phase 2a

• Adults over 50 years
• Continue vaccinating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Other critical and high risk workers.

Phase 2b

• Balance of adult population
• Catch up any unvaccinated Australians from previous phases.

Phase 3

• People under 18 years if recommended.

*Frontline health care workers in phase 1a are those at the greatest risk of exposure to COVID-19. This includes those working at/as:

• GP Respiratory Clinics
• COVID-19 testing facilities
• ambulance staff
• paramedics
• ICU staff
• emergency department staff
• clinical and ancillary support staff.

For more information visit the Department of Health’s COVID-19 vaccines website and subscribe to the COVID-19 Vaccines at www.health.gov.au/covid19-vaccines.