The time is upon us and the Panvax (H1N1 vaccines) are finally here and TGA registered no less!
I've been in touch with 2 surgeries so far who have started administering the shots and so far so good. There seems to be some interest from the public, which is nice, since there are still concerns that most Australians are "over swine flu" altogether. ... We'll see.
Was excited to see the ad on TV today promoting the vaccine for the priority groups where they had pregnant women (a potentially challenging population to get) a young asthmatic boy, an overweigh man and an older lady (who we're assuming must have a chronic illness, since advanced age is NOT a stand alone risk factor).
I spent a fair bit of the evening updating the H1N1 vaccine page on the division website so that all links and resources are handy and readily available. Make sure you check it out!
Key things to remember:
- The Panvax Multi Dose Vials (MDV) are only viable for 24hrs after opening. So plan your immunisation sessions well ahead of time and keep track of which vial should be finished up first!
- Vaccine must be used within 4hrs of being drawn up into a syringe.
- Consent forms are NOT COMPULSORY! Informed consent is required as with any other vaccine, but verbal consent and documentation in patient file is sufficient.
- The vaccine can be give to patients WITHOUT a Medicare Card. This means that international students and tourists in the priority groups can receive the shot free of charge, but would obviously have to privately pay for the GP consult since you will not be able to bulk bill them without Medicare.
- Vaccine is only to be administered to patients over 10 years of age!
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