Vaccination dosage interval a challenge for centres

THE interval between AstraZeneca doses at Victorian-run vaccinations has halved, but this won’t have an impact on vaccinations in Swan Hill.

Victoria’s Acting Chief Health Officer Professor Ben Cowie said this month the dosage interval for AstraZeneca would be reduced from 12 to six weeks at state-run services to match the Pfizer vaccine interval.

A Swan Hill District Health spokesperson said its clinic was Commonwealth-run and the change would not affect the SHDH program.

“The changes to the administration time of the AstraZeneca doses is a state directive,” the spokesperson said.

“We provide a Commonwealth vaccination program so the only time we would reduce the dose times is if we were to have a local outbreak.”

Kerang District Health (KDH) director of clinical services Kellie Byron-Gray said the shortened turnaround would present a challenge for the Kerang service.

“We are booked out until October,” she told Gannawarra Times.

“We’re doing what we can to be able to accommodate people wanting their AstraZeneca quicker.”

Ms Byron-Gray said KDH was also trying to accommodate people on a waiting list if extra supplies were available.

She said KDH had increased the number of AstraZeneca vaccinations per day from 100 to 120, and Pfizer vaccinations from 120 to 132.

Ms Byron-Gray said there were several reasons why KDH could not increase vaccinations further due to limited staffing, vaccine supply and hours.

“We only get an allocation provided through the state supply – so to do that we have to get permission to increase the supply,” she said.

“We also need to be able to staff it as well.”

Ms Byron-Gray said KDH could vaccinate only two days a week on average, sometimes three.

Ms Byron-Gray said from last week, KDH administered close to 400 doses – all Pfizer on Tuesday and Wednesday, mostly AstraZeneca and 32 Pfizer on Thursday.

Each vial of AstraZeneca has 10 doses and Pfizer vials have six.

Ms Byron-Gray reminded people who had booked at multiple vaccination centres to cancel additional bookings once they decided where to attend.

“Don’t forget if you register at more than one place, as a courtesy and not to waste valuable vaccine … cancel it,” she said.

On September 10, 92 per cent of KDH aged-care workers had had their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.5 per cent had had their second. About 90 per cent of health care workers had had their first vaccine dose.

To find a vaccination in Gannawarra, visit  https://www.murrayphn.org.au/vaccination_nw/