Appointment booking systems

• Appointment booking systems can be used to reduce administrative burden relating to patient vaccination bookings and collecting patient information.
• Hot Doc COVID-19 Vaccine Hub for Practices, including FAQs
• General practices without an online booking platform can use the Commonwealth Booking Platform (CBP) at no cost. The CBP is a COVID-19 vaccination booking system that is specifically designed for COVID-19 vaccines and complies with government requirements for accessibility, privacy and security. For more information visit the CBP website or email CV19@health.gov.au

Assertive outreach

• Practices are encouraged to use assertive outreach strategies to make contact with people in priority groups including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to offer COVID-19 vaccination, including:
  • Searching patient databases to identify people based on key demographics and conditions. PenCS CAT recipes are available to assist with this identification - CAT recipes
  • Contacting the regional Disability Liaison Officer to develop an accessible access pathway for people with disability (information and flyers available here).
  • Contacting local community groups and organisations to advertise vaccination clinics or offer a designated clinic time/day.
  • Offering a home-based vaccination
• Practices can inform the public of which COVID-19 vaccines they are administering through social media and webpage promotions, and through direct patient communications.
• Communicating about COVID-19 vaccines - TGA
• Updated provider kit for general practice
• Vaccine provider social media tiles
• Murray PHN COVID-19 vaccination campaign is available here

Clinic setup

• COVID-19 vaccination clinic set up must meet the Commonwealth Government site requirements outlined in your on-boarding pack and Pfizer Information pack.
• Clinical guidance on use of COVID-19 vaccine in Australia in 2021 - ATAGI
• For advice on cold chain management and storage, see National vaccine storage guidelines resource collection "Strive for Five" - Australian Government
• For advice on clinical governance, see Murray HealthPathways COVID-19 information

MBS, PIP and other funding

• MBS COVID-19 Vaccine Support Services MBS Note AN.44.1
• In-Depth Patient Assessment for a COVID-19 Vaccine 10660 and 10661
• PIP COVID-19 vaccine general practice incentive guidelines

Off-site clinics

• Off-site/in-reach vaccinations in a person’s place of residence
• Primary Care Practice Incentive Payment - Residential Aged Care and Disability Support Workers
• MBS item 90005 COVID-19 vaccine suitability assessment service in a residential aged care facility, a residential disability facility setting or at a patient’s place of residence
• Drive-through vaccination clinics, clinical guidance and site requirements. If your practice wants to set up a Drive-through clinic please email covax@murrayphn.org.au to complete the site declaration.
• Pop-up clinics, clinical guidance for off-site vaccination clinics.
• CVAS - In Reach Vaccination Reporting - a guide to reporting on in-reach clinics in a residential aged care or disability care facility

Excess dose policy

• The Commonwealth Government excess dose policy outlines strategies for preventing vaccine wastage including by keeping a waiting list and vaccinating general practice staff or other people in or around the site.
• General practices can administer vaccines to people who do not meet the Commonwealth Government eligibility to minimise wastage and/or if practices have excess doses that are close to expiration.
• Practices should note and plan for second doses for any individuals receiving the excess doses.

Transfer of vaccine stock

• Primary care COVID-19 vaccine providers including general practices, CVCs, ACCHOs and pharmacies can transfer excess vaccine stock to another participating/approved site, as long as both sites agree to the transfer, cold chain integrity is maintained and the transfer is recorded in CVAS.
• Contact practices in your geographic area to see if a transfer can be made locally. Refer to the list of primary care COVID-19 vaccine providers on the Murray PHN COVAX webpage to locate a site for the transfer – vaccination clinics by region. Email covax@murrayphn.org.au if assistance is required.
• Call VOC 1800 318 208 to transfer excess stock to a State Vaccination Hub.
• For more information about transfers between sites, click here.
• For advice on cold chain management and use of coolers/eskys, see National vaccine storage guidelines resource collection "Strive for Five" - Australian Government
• Refer to our FAQs page for more detail

Vaccine information

• ATAGI advice on eligibility for mixed doses_29 October
• COVID-19 vaccine poster_1 November 2021
• Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Policy - Australian Government
• Therapeutic Goods Administration safety information for COVID-19 vaccines
• About the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine - Australian Government
• About the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine - Australian Government
• About the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine - Australian Government
• ATAGI clinical guidance on replacement doses for invalid primary courses of COVID-19 vaccines
• TGA advice on recognition of COVID-19 vaccines not registered in Australia but used internationally
• RACGP COVID-19 vaccine information
• Jean Hailes podcast: Vaccines, safety and women

Side effects and adverse events

• AusVaxSafety - Current data from Australian Government COVID-19 vaccine safety surveillance
• TGA vaccine safety monitoring and reporting
• Report a problem or side effect - TGA
• Victorian Specialist Immunisation Service
• New South Wales Immunisation Specialist Service
• THANZ Multidisciplinary VITT Guideline for Doctors (7 July)
• Primary care approach to thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome after COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine (13 July)
• Suspected Vaccine Induced Prothrombotic Immune Thrombocytopenia blood test request form

Staying up-to-date

• Latest COVID-19 updates from Victorian Government
• Latest COVID-19 vaccination updates from NSW Government
• Victorian health service guidance and response can be monitored here
• NSW Government guidance for general practice is available here
• See also Murray PHN Staying up-to-date webpage

Continuing vaccinations

• ATAGI statement on use of COVID-19 vaccines in an outbreak setting
• COVIDSafe Deep Cleaning Rebate - Victorian Government
• Preventing infection in healthcare workers, National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, including PPE decision guide
• Guidance on the use of PPE for health workers - Victorian State Government
• Victorian business no longer need Dept. of Health clearance to reopen following exposure. They do still need to work through the required steps:
  • My business is a Tier 1 exposure site
  • My business is a Tier 2 exposure site
  • Cleaning guidelines for workplaces

Outbreak planning and practice management

• COVID Safe vaccination clinics webinar - APNA recorded, WATCH HERE
• Infection Control Webinar series, WATCH HERE
• Loddon Mallee Local Public Health Unit can provide advice and support regarding patients and staff for health services and clinics across the region, contact via email: PHU@bendigohealth.org.au or telephone 1800 959 400.
• General practices can seek advice on how to run vaccination clinics during lockdowns from the Infection Control Helpline by phoning 1800 312 968 Monday to Friday 9am-5pm; or email contact: GPsupport@murrayphn.org.au
• If you decide to enact your Pandemic/COVIDSafe Plan and it impacts on your ability to continue providing COVID vaccinations, please let Murray PHN know via COVAX@murrayphn.org.au
• Surge workforce summary table for practices in Victoria [updated 8 Sept] 
• See also Murray PHN COVID-19 Response webpage

Shared decision-making guides for COVID-19 vaccination

• First Nations COVID-19 vaccine shared-decision making model and resource pack
• Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning pregnancy
• Frail older people, including those in residential aged care facilities
• Weighing up the potential benefits against risk of harm from COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca
• People receiving palliative care or end-of-life care
• People with immunocompromise

Supports for people with a disability

• AMAZE COVID-19 vaccination social scripts, click here
• COVID-19 Vaccine - National Disability Services webpage including proof of priority eligibility forms for people with disability and disability services staff
• Access COVID-19 vaccination support from Disability Liaison Officers:
  • Bendigo/Loddon Mallee:  DisabilityLiaison@bendigohealth.org.au FLYER - Bendigo Health DLO
  • Wangaratta/North East:  disability.support@nhw.org.au FLYER - Northeast Health DLO
  • Shepparton/Goulburn Valley: disabilityliaisonofficers@gvhealth.org.au FLYER - GV HEALTH DLO SERVICE
  • Albury/Wodonga Health: disabilityliaison@awh.org.au FLYER - AW Health DLO Service
  • More information about Disability Liaison Officers is available here

FAQs

• COVID-19 vaccines ⁠–⁠ Is it true? - Australian Government Department of Health
• COVID-19 vaccine FAQs - National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance
• COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout FAQs for the Disability Sector - National Disability Services
• COVID-19 vaccine FAQs for people with asthma - Asthma Australia
• COVID-19 vaccine FAQs for people affected by cancer - Cancer Australia
• COVID-19 vaccine FAQs for people with diabetes – Diabetes Australia
• The science of immunisation: COVID-19 vaccine ‘What you need to know”, and questions and answers booklet including infographics – Australian Academy of Science