The COVID vaccine rollout to Sunshine Coast GPs is mired in confusion and frustration as doses fail to arrive, doctors aren’t given information and patients bombard clinics to make bookings.
One thousand approved general practices were meant to begin AstraZeneca vaccinations across Australia on Monday for phase 1b of the national rollout.
However, so far only two of 20 approved clinics on the Coast are understood to have received their batches despite being listed as ready to take bookings on the Federal Government’s online system.
Some clinics that had expected to be included in the 1b rollout for older Australians were also left out of the initial booking system, delaying their start.
Sunshine Coast News contacted a number of local GP surgeries on the federal booking list and they were still waiting for their first shipment of vaccine.
At the same time they have been swamped with phone calls from patients who were expecting the vaccines to be ready.
Australian Medical Association (AMA) Sunshine Coast president Dr Roger Faint said he was aware of only two centres that had begun vaccinations on the Coast this week.
His own clinic was expecting 50 doses which have not arrived, nor does he know when they will.
Dr Faint described communication from the Federal Government as a “big problem” and said very little information was being provided to doctors who were instead relying on updates in the news.
“The communication is not very good; it’s a big problem,” said Dr Faint.
“There’s no direct information so we’re getting our information from the media, the ABC.
“They were only giving the vaccine to 1000 clinics in Australia but (at first) they didn’t tell us who and when they would get it. We’re just learning day by day.
“We can’t tell patients when they will be able to get the vaccine, they’re trying to book and they’re coming in and saying ‘Why can’t I get the vaccine?'”
“I’m sure there’s a valid reason for it but the communication is bad. Who knows what’s really going to happen, but it’s not helpful at all.”
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The timing of what is anticipated will be a drawn-out rollout coincides with the annual flu jab season which runs for several weeks.
A clinic at Buderim that did begin COVID vaccines this week was Eckerlsey Medical Centre, which received 400 doses and is expecting another 400 next week.
Practice nurse Nicola Clements said their four GPs were performing vaccinations in a dedicated clinic from 3pm to 6pm.
“We’re kind of fully booked. So many people have been asking for weeks on end. We have a lot of elderly patients who fit the 1b criteria.”
Ms Clements said patients were asking a lot of questions about the safety of AstraZeneca after European countries recently suspended its use over blood clot fears.
But she said doctors were arming patients with the correct safety information.
“They’re quite reassured that they won’t get blood clots and it’s just another vaccine,” she said.
The Eckersley clinic vaccinated 40 people on Monday and 136 on Tuesday.
“For the moment we have 400 doses this week and we’re getting 400 next week and we’re not sure after that; how many we will get when they start making it in Australia.”
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Currently, GP clinics are receiving only between 50 and 400 doses per week because of the extreme low supply of AstraZeneca in Australia.
Only 700,000 AstraZeneca doses were imported from overseas despite hoping for 3.8 million.
However that shortfall is expected to improve after Australia’s medicine regular this week approved the first batch of Australian-made AstraZeneca – more than 830,000 doses produced in Melbourne.
Eventually the CSL factory is expected to ramp up to 1 million doses produced each week which it’s hoped will boost deliveries.
“We will now be able to provide secure access to large numbers of doses of a domestically produced vaccine, with the Australian government having procured 50 million doses for delivery in the coming months,” the Therapeutic Goods Administrations (TGA) said in a statement.
“All subsequent batches of the Melbourne-manufactured vaccine completed in the coming weeks and months will go through the same individual batch testing and release process.”
CSL’s Melbourne facilities are producing 50 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine which will be used to vaccinate most Australians.
Phase 1b involves the inoculation of six million Australians, mostly via GP clinics, who are over the age of 70, Indigenous Australians over 55 and younger adults with a medical condition or disability.
Workers deemed critical or high risk can also apply.
To find out if you are eligible and make a booking visit the Federal Government’s Vaccine Eligibility Checker.
