Vaccination after testing positive for COVID-19

A COVID-19 vaccine booster dose is recommended for people aged 16 years and older who completed their primary course 3 or more months ago. Given the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 in our communities, some will likely need to delay their scheduled COVID-19 vaccination due to isolation and/or illness. People who have had

Managing COVID outbreaks in North Coast RACFs

Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF) outbreak numbers across the region have reduced by 50% in the last few weeks providing a small period of recuperation for all. Over 85% of RACFs have had an outbreak or exposure, and as we move into outbreaks being part of business, as usual, the learnings from the last month

New oral antiviral therapies for COVID-19

Keeping up to date with COVID vaccination status

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has recommended a change to the definition of COVID-19 vaccine status from ‘fully vaccinated’ to ‘up to date’. ATAGI has recommended moving away from the term ‘fully vaccinated’. Under the new advice, a person is ‘up to date’ if they have completed all the doses recommended for

Clinical advice line for GPs with COVID-positive patients

Do you need clinical advice to support the care of a COVID-positive patient? Clinical advice is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the NSW Health COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line (1800 960 933). General practitioners should press 4 to access the advice line. The line is staffed by specialist emergency

COVID update webinar covers boosters and more

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant says the current COVID outbreak has plateaued and should soon decline, along with the number of patients in intensive care. Dr Chant was speaking at Monday’s COVID-19 update webinar organised by the RACGP. A recording of the webinar is available below for those who were unable to attend.

Updated COVID-19 return to work guidelines

The HealthPathway for COVID-19 Infection Control and Staff Exposure has been updated to include information about return to work if a staff member tests positive. The pathway’s name has also been updated, it is now called COVID-19 Infection Control and Staff Exposure or Infection. Changes A section has been added to guide returning staff who have

Practices prepare for Novavax delivery

So far, 25 general practices across the Healthy North Coast footprint have expressed interest in receiving allocations of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. The Therapeutic Goods Administration provisionally approved Novavax for use in Australia on 20 January, 2022. Novavax will be available for people aged 18 years and over who have not received their primary course

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine provisionally approved as booster for young people aged 16 and 17

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has provisionally approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as a booster for young people aged 16 and 17 years old. Dosing in this age group is the same as the adult population – a booster dose may be administered intramuscularly after the completion of a COVID-19 vaccine primary series (2 doses).

ATAGI guidance on temporary medical exemption for COVID-19 vaccines

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has published updated guidance for immunisation providers on acute major medical conditions that warrant a temporary medical exemption for COVID-19 vaccines (PDF, 184 KB). ATAGI advises that previous COVID-19 infection is not a contraindication to vaccination. People who have had COVID-19 can be vaccinated once they recover from

ATAGI statement on the use of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine

Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, also known as Nuvaxovid, has been provisionally approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for use in a primary course of vaccination in people aged 18 years and older. Following this approval, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has published recommendations on the use of Nuvaxovid. In addition, the Australian Government Department

RATs to replace PCR in more settings

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has released a statement regarding when to use rapid antigen testing (RAT) for high-risk patients. To help manage the current high case loads for PCR testing, the AHPPC recommends the use of RAT for the following purposes: an alternative test to PCR for those with a higher risk of