The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Australia has begun

[BNEFlyer]

My wife just got a call offering to book her for the second jab, having given trying the phone line and gone for a walk-in for the first jab. We'd already booked but it's good to see that they are finally getting things organised.

I'm still astounded they didn't book the second jab as soon as you checked in for the first one.

I'm in QLD and got my first jab yesterday, while in the waiting room to leave everyone is given a bit of paper with a QR code to book their second jab and the date that is when they can get it from. The link didn't work properly for me but it's easy enough to call.

 

[mviy]

I have spent months trying to convince a 53 year old friend that he should have AZ rather than waiting for (or trying to scam) Pfizer. Sometimes perhaps you have to stop knocking your head against a brick wall and accept the reality. Given that over 50s are more at risk from a serious health outcome if they catch Covid perhaps there is now a case to allow them to get Pfizer. I would still prioritise anyone in 1A and 1B who needs it and then open up to the over 50s.

The new WA AMA President would agree with you, I think: People in 50s deserve Pfizer vaccine: WA’s new top doc

 

[jakeseven7]

Cannot follow that logic. An arm is an arm.

Because there is no logic to follow...

Plus some people prefer to be vaccinated by a GP and that helps with the vaccine hesitant.

Also, GP’s are actively switching the appropriate crowd over to AZ which they should be having by undoing all the anti vax / media garbage in the community. By having Pfizer in primary care this means they can hook more people in and convert them, freeing up Pfizer for those who are indicated / recommended to receive it....

All vaccines should be available in as many places as possible.

 

[jakeseven7]

For goodness sake this sort of rhetoric is just doing his state and therefore the nation a disservice.

I have enough relatives over 60 "waiting for Pfizer" and this will just encourage more.

Very dangerous I agree. But tough, when the next outbreak occurs and people who could have been vaccinated and chose to wait are infected, I’m sorry but that is on them.

We are very very close now to all the vulnerable and elderly population being vaccinated which means different discussions are going to be had about restrictions etc and people who want to vaccine shop are doing so at their own personal risk.

 

[Lynda2475]

Not for people who prefer to get vaccinated at their GP’s, which is kind of the entire point of having multiple distribution channels.

But the existing channels have plenty of demand, only if they weren't proving popular do you need to consider expanding to less efficient channel with more potential for wastage (GPs can only store Pfizer for a short period, mass vac centres have proper super cold storage and 3month + wait list where they could move bookings forward if had supply).

Common sense would be to have existing mass vac centres open on weekends first, then add more mass vac centres before risking wastage via GPs and pharmacies.

The remaining Pfizer cohort are all working age so easy to access locations near where people work is key. A GP see 4 patients an hour, so max 32 shots a day. The mass vac clinics can deliver so many more in an hour, its a more efficient production line.

The timing of this inappropriate whilst supply is so constrained. In Q4 we can possibly afford to risk wastage, right now get more supply into the existing very effective max vaccination hubs.

 

[mviy]

The remaining Pfizer cohort are all working age so easy to access locations near where people work is key.

A lot of people are working from home, so being able to go to your local GP is great for easy access near where people work.

 

[Lynda2475]

By having Pfizer in primary care this means they can hook more people in and convert them, freeing up Pfizer for those who are indicated / recommended to receive it....

That makes zero sense, how does having Pfizer on hand, make it easer for GPs to convince people to get AZ?? It makes it harder because people know they can use discretion without the strict rules of the mass vac centres.

It wont free up Pfizer, it will make it more likely that people will pressure or leverage the relationship they have with the GP to get Pfizer when they aren't really eligible, leaving less doses for those who are eligible. Also the short term storage ability, means to avoid wastage they will give to anyone who is available.

The move to give Pfizer to GPS is very premature, especially since the existing channels have ability to give more doses if they had more supply.

A lot of people are working from home, so being able to go to your local GP is great for easy access near where people work.

That assumes your GP is near your home. The GP i go to is near my workplace. Victoria is an outlier, in most other states most people are now working back in the office at a few days a week.

And it again over estimates the number of people who have a GP at all. I wouldnt have a clue where the nearest GP is to my home (just googled there is nothing walking distance), where as two hospitals that give Pfizer within a 10 min walk from my office.

 

[burmans]

I do not believe it is a blip. I think there are 2 drivers and neither is temporary: 1 - I think the recent events here in VIC were an eye opener and a dose of reality (meaning that even with locked borders, COVID is indeed a risk) and 2 - Pfizer - there was/is too much fear of AZ. I say this as someone who has had her first AZ and will happily get my 2nd next weekend.

Looking at Victoria's numbers we had one peak week and numbers have dropped about a third since then. So clearly the impact of news about Victoria was only temporary. Not sure what it's going to take to get Australians vaccinated but would suggest a marketing campaign has to be one of those elements.

 

[Lynda2475]

Not sure what it's going to take to get Australians vaccinated but would suggest a marketing campaign has to be one of those elements.

Insufficient Pfizer supply is the biggest inhibitor at this time.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

But the existing channels have plenty of demand, only if they weren't proving popular do you need to consider expanding to less efficient channel

Cannot follow that line of logic at all.

1/ GP's are an existing channel.

2/ Indeed they are actually the dominant existing channel. = are proving popular

And in NSW moreso. Of 1,760,768 doses in NSW, the GP Channel has delivered 1,014,086 doses. 58% ! The feds 7% and hubs only 35%

So the GP Channel has been enormously popular, and most probably would have been more popular still if they have of had access to delivery Pfizer which the hubs have mainly had a mononpoly on, and also more AZ delivered to if they had not have had their AZ supply capped to very low amounts.

All that is occurring is widening what vaccines they are also distributing. ie Adding Pfizer and Modena to AZ and Flu Vaccines, in addition to all the other vaccines that GP's can administer.



The more channels the better, the fewer barriers to getting vaccinated the better.

 

[jase05]

Insufficient Pfizer supply is the biggest inhibitor at this time.

In 3-4 weeks we should be seeing some decent Pfizer supply

 

[DC3]

In 3-4 weeks we should be seeing some decent Pfizer supply

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Looking at Victoria's numbers we had one peak week and numbers have dropped about a third since then. So clearly the impact of news about Victoria was only temporary. Not sure what it's going to take to get Australians vaccinated but would suggest a marketing campaign has to be one of those elements.

I think the next 3 weeks will be informative in terms of how much demand holds up.

A recent survey (see my post earlier in this thread) suggested that 26% people are not likely to get vaccinated., and another 26% were likely to get vaccinated but were sitting on the fence. So that is a whopping 52 % that need to be converted as yet.

So demand could yes easily plummet. Hopefully not.

The surge in demand meant the utilisation rate shot up, meaning extra doses were capable of being injected (ie they could used up what in storage already). With that now maximised it meant that supply became constrained. AZ supplies now increased, and Pfizer temporarily increased by the Feds from the 14th (This allowed second doses to not be held back over the last week or two).

Long Weekend including public was probably part of the reason for the very recent drop off.

Last three weeks have been high.

The three weeks prior to that also saw a step up.

 

[jase05]

We are expecting on average just over 600k per week of Pfizer coming in around the middle of July and in a couple of weeks we have the Covax supply of Pfizer arriving. Going to need it especially as it sounds like ATAGI are going to raise the age of AZ to 60

 

[bcworld]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1405319192769798145

 

[lovetravellingoz]

In 3-4 weeks we should be seeing some decent Pfizer supply

Is it not till October that Pfizer will be available 2 million doses per week, with much lesser availability till about then?

Plus Sept Moderna starts to arrive in Sept, though mainly not till December. Novavax a maybe in the last quarter too.

Unless that has changed, what things are currently pointing to a massive last quarter vaccination rate provided that:

• We expand the capacity of the channels to deliver these doses (which is why GP and Pharmacists is critical to achieve this).
• That the vaccine hesitant can largely be convinced to get vaccinated.

For the next 4 months the vaccine hesitant is not that critical, except perhaps in the over fifty category, as you can simply keep expanding who is eligible to get vaccinated. But it will reach a stage when the cohort that will mainly need to get vaccinated will be the vaccine hesitant. There will remain those that cannot be vaccinated, or choose not to be vaccinated.

 

[Lynda2475]

AZ supply has not been constrained during May and June, it is plentiful hence why walks ups are possible. GPRCs have had much unused supply from the start, mass vac clinics also heaps of supply.

The supply constraint atm is pretty much all Pfizer.

it sounds like ATAGI are going to raise the age of AZ to 60

Well not entirely surprising given recent death of someone in early 50s, and fact that in most comparable countries in Europe AZ is only recommended for over 65s.

and in a couple of weeks we have the Covax supply of Pfizer arriving.

It was my understanding that Australia is funding doses under Covax for distribution in poorer nation not that we are receiving doses from Covax for use in Australia. Its good if Im wrong, but to date Covax has been distributing vaccines in Africa.

 

[mviy]

Hmm if they raise Pfizer to 60+ that could delay younger age groups getting Pfizer. Opening up Pfizer to people in their 50s would surely see a temporary surge in demand for Pfizer from those who are currently eligible to be vaccinated. This would mean a longer wait for those of us still ineligible. With the 40s being vaccinated I had thought when that surge in demand drops off they'll open it up to younger ages maybe next month, now I suspect a longer wait.

Edit: Oops I meant if they allow 50-59s to get Pfizer.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

AZ supply has not been constrained during May and June, i

Many GP Practices were constrained at 50 doses per week, and many more could not get any doses.

It was very constrained to the GP Channel and many people prefer that Channel and preferred to wait till their GP could vaccinate them.

Plus there are the infirm and others who do not want to, or cannot get to the State Run Hubs, or even to the GP run Respiratory Clinics.

 

[jase05]

AZ supply has not been constrained during May and June, it is plentiful hence why walks ups are possible. GPRCs have had much unused supply from the start, mass vac clinics also heaps of supply.

The supply constraint atm is pretty much all Pfizer.



Well not entirely surprising given recent death of someone in early 50s, and fact that in most comparable countries in Europe AZ is only recommended for over 65s.



It was my understanding that Australia is funding doses under Covax for distribution in poorer nation not that we are receiving doses from Covax for use in Australia. Its good if Im wrong, but to date Covax has been distributing vaccines in Africa.

My understanding is we are receiving 500k doses of Pfizer from Covax