COVID-19: Let's take the next step
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Speak to your GP if you have questions or concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.
Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout has finally begun. Keeping you, your family and our community safe, healthy and informed is our priority.
At Campaspe Family Practice, we are committed to supporting the Australian Government to stop the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. Vaccination is the best protection currently available to keep us safe as we go about our everyday lives.
In Australia, COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and vaccination is voluntary and free. Vaccines will be available for everyone in Australia who wants one by the end of this year, according to the Government.*
Even though the vaccine is very effective, it won't necessarily stop some individuals from getting COVID-19 and spreading it. But research shows immunisation WILL boost your immune system so you will not get as sick should you contract the virus. And this is very reassuring news.
We will advise you on our website when vaccination clinics begin.
In the meantime, we have provided the latest information available from health authorities in this newsletter, to give you a rough guide about your place in the queue.
How can I be sure COVID-19 vaccines are safe?
To ensure all vaccines given in Australia meet the highest safety standards, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will continue to batch test and monitor vaccines.
TGA chief Adjunct Professor John Skerritt says: ‘Our experts are looking carefully at the clinical trial results, along with all the data on quality and manufacturing of the vaccines. We will only approve vaccines when we have enough evidence that they work and that they’re safe.’
Will being immunised for COVID-19 protect me for life?
While being immunised against the measles provides life-long protection, updated flu vaccines need to be administered each year to be effective. It's still too early to tell how long COVID-19 immunisation will remain active. Experts and researchers are tracking people's immune responses in real time, so we may have a clearer picture about longevity by next year. It's possible we may need booster shots to prolong the effectiveness of the vaccine or an annual vaccine that's updated each year to protect against new strains.
I'm an adult in a low-risk group, should I be vaccinated?
While you may be in an age group considered a lower risk for becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, younger people world wide have become seriously ill from the disease and many have died.
Vaccination has not yet been routinely recommended for pregnant women in Australia. By choosing to be immunised, you can help protect people in our community who are unable to be vaccinated.
Who will be vaccinated first?
To protect those most at risk of developing COVID-19, the Australian Technical Advisory Group (ATAGI) has advised the Australian Government which groups should be prioritised for receiving vaccines in a phased roll out. The Phase 1a priority group will begin receiving the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from today. The vaccine has been provisionally approved by the TGA for people aged 16 years and over. A second dose of the vaccine will be administered 21 days after the first dose.
The 1a group includes urban and regional/rural aged care and disability care residents and staff, as well as priority front-line healthcare workers and quarantine and border workers. The Pfizer vaccine will be delivered through hospital ‘hubs’ across Australia, and in residential aged care and disability care facilities.
The Australian Government expects 60,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to have been administered by the end of February.
The University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, currently earmarked for people in the Phase 1b priority group in the vaccine rollout plan, has received approval by the TGA for people aged 18 and over. Full immunisation requires two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Australia remains on track for the first AstraZeneca vaccines to be administered to people in this group in March.
A safe and effective vaccine is only one part of keeping ourselves and our community safe from COVID-19. It’s important to continue practising good hygiene and physical distancing under the guidance and direction of State and Federal Health authorities. Stay home if you’re sick or have symptoms and get tested.
* Vaccines will be available for all Australian citizens, permanent residents, visa holders and temporary visa-holders (including asylum seekers, temporary protection visa holders and people on bridging visas) and those without a Medicare card. People ineligible for Medicare will be unable to receive the vaccines through their general practice clinic. Instead, access to vaccines will be via state or territory-managed vaccination centres. These centres will be set up in Victorian public regional hospitals, such as Ballarat and Bendigo, as well certain public hospitals in Melbourne.
Can I choose which vaccine I'll receive?
Currently, Australians are not able to choose which vaccine they will receive in the national rollout. The Australian Government has four separate agreements for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, but Australians will only receive them if the vaccines are proved to be safe and effective. So far, two vaccines have received approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA): the Pfizer vaccine and the Astra-Zeneca vaccine. The majority of Australians are expected to be offered the Astra-Zeneca vaccine.
Who gets the jab first?
Please note: this schedule may change as new information becomes available.
Phase 1a: Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
quarantine and Border workers
frontline healthcare workers (priority subgroups)
aged care and disability care staff
aged care and disability care residents
Phase 1b: AstraZeneca vaccine
adults aged 80 years +
adults aged 70 - 79 years
other healthcare workers
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples aged 55+
adults with and underlying medical condition, including those with a disability
critical and high-risk workers, in areas including defence, police, fire + emergency services and meat processing
Phase 2a:
adults aged 60-69 years
adults aged 50-59 years
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders 18-54 years
other critical and high-risk workers
Phase 2b:
balance of adult population
Phase 3:
people under 18 years if recommended by health authorities
Where to learn more about vaccines
We encourage you seek reliable sources of information to help you make up-to-date and informed choices about COVID-19 vaccination. You can also speak to your GP if you are unsure about any information you may have received.
Reliable resources include:
Australian Government Department of Health
Therapeutic Goods Administration
