Delays to vaccine deliveries
Due to severe weather and floods, several road closures have been in place across NSW since 28 February 2022. As a result, some areas in our region have experienced delays in vaccine deliveries.
It is expected deliveries will resume from 14 March 2022.
If your practice has been impacted by severe weather, floods and/or a power outage, it is important to follow cold chain breach protocols before ordering more vaccines.
Vaccine orders should continue to be placed through:
- Covid-19 Vaccine Administration System (CVAS) for COVID-19 vaccines
- NSW Vaccine Centre for all other government funded vaccines.
Managing a vaccine cold chain breach
If your practice has been impacted by the recent severe weather and power outages, it’s possible your vaccine stock has been affected by a cold chain breach. This occurs when vaccine storage temperatures have been outside the recommended range of 2°C to 8°C.
If you have experienced a cold chain breach, follow the NSW Health: Cold Chain Breach flowchart.
All cold chain breaches must be reported.
COVID-19 vaccines should be reported to the National Vaccine Operation Centre (VOC) on 1800 318 208.
For all other vaccines, complete the Cold Chain Breach and Vaccine Wastage Reporting Form and contact the North Coast Public Health Unit on 1300 066 055 as soon as possible.
The Public Health Unit is currently receiving a high volume of enquiries and it may take longer than usual to get a response. Do not throw vaccines out until you hear back and receive advice.
For more information on how to manage a cold chain breach refer to:
- NSW Health: How to manage a cold chain breach
- HealthPathways: Vaccine storage and cold chain breaches.
For information on how to improve cold chain management of vaccines in your practice refer to Primary Care Impact: Improve cold chain management of vaccines and NSW Health | Cold chain toolkit.
Immunisation for tetanus-prone wounds
As our communities continue to clean-up after the recent devastating floods, people will be faced with health and safety risks, including tetanus-prone wounds.
Tetanus-containing vaccine may be recommended in people with a tetanus-prone wound.
Evacuation centres in Lismore have health practitioners onsite to provide vaccination for people with tetanus-prone wounds.
If your practice requires an urgent supply of tetanus-containing vaccines, there is a limited supply available to meet immediate needs in our region. Contact your local Primary Health Coordinator for more information.
Outside of critical short-term needs, it is recommended practices continue to order vaccines through usual ordering procedures.
Vaccine orders should be placed through:
- Covid-19 Vaccine Administration System (CVAS) for COVID-19 vaccines
- NSW Vaccine Centre for all other government funded vaccines.
For more information refer to: