There is no denying the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the world.
The good news is certain COVID-19 vaccinations have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia. This means that we can begin to reduce the risk of spread in our community by vaccinating against it.
High vaccination rates make outbreaks much less likely. It also reduces the need for preventative measures, such as border closures and travel restrictions. This will help reduce the health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first phase (1a and 1b) of vaccinations will be done through hospital sites and will go to identified priority groups (see below).
Pharmacies will be vaccinating from Phase 2a, believed to commence May 2021. Wizard Pharmacy is proud to support the Australian Government and its vaccination effort through multiple safe and conveniently located Wizard sites.
The full details of the National Roll-Out Strategy can be found here.
With Cold & Flu season nearly upon us, it is also time to start thinking about your annual flu vaccination. It is recommended you wait at least two weeks between your flu vaccination and your COVID Vaccination. If you are included in Phases 2 or 3 of the COVID Vaccination roll-out, it is recommended you get your flu vaccination first while waiting for your COVID vaccination. If you’re included in the earlier Phases (1a and 1b), it is recommended you get your COVID vaccination first.
Click HERE to register your interest in receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine at Wizard Pharmacy.
Click HERE for more information on Coronavirus
Click HERE to book in for your annual Flu Vaccination.
A vaccine is a type of medicine that helps your body’s immune system to fight diseases. Vaccines are created in a way that prevents or reduces the severity of the disease. Vaccines are not used to treat the disease once you have caught it.
Just as we have vaccines to help protect us against diseases like measles, whooping cough, chickenpox or the flu, there is a vaccine that will help protect you against COVID-19. There are different types of COVID-19 vaccines, but they all aim to protect you against COVID-19.
Some infectious diseases are unknown to your body, and your body doesn’t know how to protect you from them. A vaccination is an effective and safe way to teach your body’s immune system how to fight off certain diseases. After having a vaccine, your body creates antibodies to protect you from that disease.
If you have the COVID-19 vaccine and are exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 in the future, your immune system will respond faster and more effectively against the virus and protect you against the severity of the disease.
While the Australian Government supports and promotes immunisation, it is not mandatory, and individuals can choose whether to get vaccinated.
The Australian government has committed to providing the COVID-19 vaccine for free to all Australian citizens, permanent residents, refugees, asylum seekers and temporary or bridging visa-holders.
In response to the impacts of COVID-19 felt worldwide, unprecedented funding and collaboration occurred between regulators, governments, vaccine developers and scientists.
For COVID-19 vaccines, no testing phase has been skipped. Instead, some of these phases have been combined, or run at the same time as each other. Having these ‘overlapping’ time frames has helped develop COVID-19 vaccines quickly and help make them available earlier to save lives.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) carefully look at clinical trial results, along with data on the quality and manufacturing of the vaccines. They only approve vaccines when they have enough evidence that they work, and they are safe.
All vaccines can cause side effects. Usually, these are mild. You may experience minor side effects following vaccination. Most side effects last no more than a couple of days, and you will recover without any problems. Common reactions to vaccination include:
Serious reactions like allergic reactions are extremely rare. If you have any concerns about the vaccine, talk to your pharmacist.
The results from the clinical trials to date have shown all vaccines to be effective in providing protection against COVID-19.
If as many people as possible are immunised against COVID-19, regardless of which vaccine they have, this will make a significant difference in keeping everyone safe and reducing potential COVID-19 outbreaks.
Providing access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for everyone in Australia is a priority for the Australian Government. The TGA assesses all COVID-19 vaccines before they can be used in Australia.
The TGA will only register a vaccine if its benefits are much greater than its risks. This means every vaccine available in Australia has been proven to protect against COVID-19.
Clinical trials for the vaccines have shown that both vaccines are effective in preventing:
These trials involve tens of thousands of participants worldwide.
Yes. So far, clinical trials are showing that the vaccine induces antibodies that can respond to a variety of mutations. Health authorities will continue to monitor the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against variant strains.
The Australian Government is responsible for specifying priority populations, drawing on advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
Identified priority groups will be offered the first doses, such as people most at risk of becoming very ill with COVID-19 and those at greater risk of infecting others through their work.
More people will have access to the vaccine as more doses become available.
| Phase 1a | |
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Quarantine, border and front line health care workers will need to provide proof of occupation to demonstrate their eligibility Quarantine and border workers, including:
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Frontline health care worker sub-groups for prioritisation
*All other healthcare workers are included in Phase 1b, including medical and tertiary students with placements in these healthcare settings. |
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Aged care and disability care staff |
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Aged care and disability care residents |
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| Number of doses | up to 1.4m |
| Phase 1b | |
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Elderly adults aged 80 years and over |
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Elderly adults aged 70-79 years |
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Other health care workers |
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people > 55 |
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Adults with an underlying medical condition, including those with a disability *People will need to provide proof of these conditions to demonstrate their eligibility for vaccination via My health record, a health professional referral if required or a declaration form. |
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Critical and high risk workers including defence, police, fire, emergency services and meat processing * Workers will need to provide proof of occupation to demonstrate their eligibility. |
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| Number of doses | up to 14.8m |
| Phase 2a | |
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Adults aged 60-69 years |
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Adults aged 50-59 years |
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 18-54 |
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Other critical and high risk workers |
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| Number of doses | up to 15.8m |
| Phase 2b | |
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Balance of adult population |
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Catch up any unvaccinated Australians from previous phases |
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| Number of doses | up to 16m |
| Phase 3 | |
| < 16 if recommended | |
| Number of doses | up to 13.6m |
The WA COVID-19 vaccination program is planned to roll-out in phases from late February throughout 2021, provided vaccines are available, and proven safe and effective by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
The vaccine program is being implemented in a phased approach because there is currently a limited supply of the first vaccine approved by the TGA.
More people will have access to a vaccine as more doses become available. We will keep you informed as new information from the Australian Government continues coming to light.
The Australian government and state and territory governments are working together to plan the safe and efficient roll-out of an approved vaccine. In line with approval from the TGA, vaccinations will be available in phases, with certain groups given priority (see above).
Vaccinations are expected to be available at pharmacies, GPs or specialist vaccination clinics from early May 2021, as part of the Phase 2A roll-out plan.
All adults over 16 years are recommended to have the vaccine once they are eligible. The vaccine program is being implemented in a phased approach with those most at risk of becoming very ill with COVID-19 and those at greater risk of becoming infected through their work and infecting others being offered the vaccine as a priority.
It has not been recommended at this stage that children under 16 years will receive the vaccine. If this advice changes, they will be included in later phases of the vaccine roll-out.
Yes. Everyone needs to continue to practise good hygiene, social distancing and staying home if you are sick during the vaccine roll-out. A COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to protect the Australian community.
In the meantime, everyone still needs to:
No. Influenza and COVID-19 are two completely separate viruses. As such, different vaccinations are required to help protect you and those around you from each of them.
Although we saw a reduction in flu infection rates in 2020 - likely to due to the higher than usual vaccination rate, along with the impacts of social distancing and increased hygiene – the flu virus remains in the community and is continually evolving, so you are still exposed to it.
It’s important to note that the flu (Influenza) is still a serious illness that contributes to absence from employment, lost productivity, hospitalisations, and in very severe cases, death. An Influenza vaccination remains one of the best annual preventative measures to help protect you and those around you against the flu. It is highly advisable that you consider a flu vaccination in 2021, along with the COVID-19 vaccination.
You should get the Influenza vaccine every year. This is because the most common strains of the virus that cause Influenza change every year. The vaccine also changes every year to match these strains.
It is currently not recommended to get both vaccines at the same time. A minimum of 14 days should occur between the different vaccinations. Currently, the order of the immunisations also does not matter. As more information becomes available, this recommendation may change.
There is no particular order in which it is currently recommended to get your flu immunisation and your first and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. You will, however, need to wait at least two weeks between each vaccine. This recommendation may change as more evidence comes to hand.
If you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the earlier stages of the roll-out, it is recommended you receive this first as it will be available before you are recommended to get a flu vaccination.
No, it does not. However, having your flu vaccination reduces the chance you will catch the flu and compromise your immune system.
https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines
https://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Coronavirus/COVID19-vaccine/FAQs
