E&OE…
Topics: booking appointments to receive COVID vaccine; Papua New Guinea conflict.
NEIL MITCHELL:
I’ve mentioned earlier we talked about the availability of the vaccine, the list of GP clinics. The Federal Government runs and coordinates it – they provide the vaccinations; they contract the clinics.
The State Government is saying it’s their responsibility if their responsibility if there are any problems. There is a website to list the clinics. On the line, Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt. Good morning.
GREG HUNT:
And good morning, Neil.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Thanks for your time. Listener’s question: if- when you get vaccinated, do you get a certificate?
GREG HUNT:
You do. You have a little card – I received it myself – and there’s also an online digital certificate which everybody will have access to.
So when you get your first vaccination you get the card and reminder. And then everybody will have the online certificate which is easily available and that will be a, sort of, a permanent record for, for anybody.
We don’t know, in the future, whether other countries will require it, but it’s, it’s absolutely critical that everybody has that. And that’s through what’s called the Australian Immunisation Register, which we already use for our national immunisation programme.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay. Now, we’re getting a lot of calls from listeners who’ve been ringing clinics that are listed today and being told: no, don’t know anything about it, can’t take bookings, don’t even know when we’re getting the stuff. Is there some sort of problem there?
GREG HUNT:
Well, that would be a surprise. Because in Victoria, at this stage, we’ll start with 265 clinics next week, plus 25 of the Commonwealth clinics.
Every clinic that has signed up and made orders, and they’ve been through three stages of application, Commonwealth approval, and final acceptance.
And so if there are any issues, please send them through to, to my office. But the list of clinics on health.gov.au.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Well I’ll just, I’ll read you a classic one from Robert, he’s got troubles with the website but he says: rang the first three clinics – none of them taking bookings, none of them have the vaccine, none of them can tell me when they would actually start immunisation. Now, that’s not good enough., is it?
GREG HUNT:
Well, let me find out the details from Robert. But very simply, what’s happening today and then what’s happening next week – as of next week we start with the beginning of six million people, and you know, next week will be over 500,000 vaccines will be available nationwide.
So it’s not all going to happen in one week. And I think it’s very important that we recognise that, as with the flu, as with any other vaccination programme we’re patient, and we’re working to be globally and Australian available supplies.
And that’s for the over 80s. The over 70s, the immuno-compromised and the health worker population, plus indigenous Australians over 50, over 55.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Plus emergency workers as well?
GREG HUNT:
Plus emergency workers. So we start with 1000 practices next week, plus state and Commonwealth clinics. Obviously this will need to run out over a number of months, given that it’s six million people in this group; and, it will grow to over 4000 practices over the course of the next month.
So in Victoria it begins with just over about 265 practices next week, which are listed. And importantly, if your practise isn’t in that first group there are 25 of what are called the Commonwealth Vaccination Clinics.
They’ve been doing the testing; they’re also now going to be doing the vaccinations.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So these are things at an exhibition building? That sort of thing?
GREG HUNT:
Well, for example, where I had my vaccination in Carrum Downs, it’s called the Carrum Downs General Practice Respiratory Clinic – that’s where they’ve been doing testing. Now, they’ll also be opening up to do vaccinations, so they’ll have large numbers.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So, do you have to make a, do you have to make an appointment there? Or not?
GREG HUNT:
Yes, you do. By going to the health.gov.au website you can see the clinics. And from later today, you’ll be able to go through that to, some of these will book directly.
But for every clinic, there’ll be either a booking service or a phone number. But, take your time, remembering it’s not all going to happen in one day or one week. This is over the period of between now and the middle of the year for phase 1A, for those that are most at risk- 1B.
NEIL MITCHELL:
How many people in Victoria, How many people in Victoria are trained to provide, to actually vaccinate people?
GREG HUNT:
So around the country, and I’d have to, we’ve had over 10,000 people that have been trained. I’d have to look at the state numbers, but Victoria’s proportionate amount would be similar to its population percentage.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So is it right that if your, if a GP’s clinic, for example, is going to vaccinate people, then the staff have to do the online training course?
GREG HUNT:
Correct? Yes, that’s mandatory. And the general practice is how we do the National Immunisation Programme – think measles, mumps, rubella, or how we do flu.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So, they’re complaining about that. They reckon that takes too, a bit of time. Too much time. Costs them money.
GREG HUNT:
I think what we’ll see is that- there was some news about general practices. The general practices, and I spoke with the Head of the RACGP last night, have been amazing.
Ninety-eight per cent of those that applied and were accepted ultimately agreed to participate, and so that was much higher than we expected in terms of the numbers that applied, and much higher than we expected in terms of the numbers that accepted and agreed to participate.
So, I think that’s fantastic news. Look, the training is just an indispensable component. Our number one priority is safety.
NEIL MITCHELL:
We’re getting more and more calls as we’re talking about problems. And Tom Elliot, who does the Drive program.
GREG HUNT:
Well, hang on.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Hang on – he says, he says: he tried his local clinic because it’s on the list, they said they don’t know how much they’re going to get, when they’re going to get it, call back at the end of the month.
GREG HUNT:
No, every clinic that has been listed is only listed because they have made and had confirmed an order.
Whether the person on the front desk hasn’t been provided that, but GP’s will have 400, 100 or 50 a week.
It’s only the larger ones that are commencing in week one. And then the respiratory clinics will have between 400 to 1200 or 2,000 doses per week.
And on top of that, the states will also have theirs. So, be calm this morning. This is a process that’s going to take some months. And if there are any specific clinics, we’re happy to receive the information from the program.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay. Our own Health Minister, Martin Foley, said Victoria can meet its targets provided you – provided the Commonwealth holds up its end of the bargain.
GREG HUNT:
Well, we’re working with every state and territory and we know that, so far for example, Victoria has received in the first four weeks 12,500, 12,500, 42,500, initially 53,000 doses. Not all of those have been distributed. There’s a significant number of those still to be distributed.
They’re doing a good job in ramping up, they’ve got a significant inventory of vaccines that haven’t yet been distributed. And I don’t say that critically, I say that they’re doing a great job ramping up.
But, when you look at those figures you can see that they’ve had over 100,000 vaccines distributed to Victoria.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay. A couple of other quick things. AstraZeneca, have you heard any reports? Any of those countries who’ve suspended it, have they, have they started again? Or not?
GREG HUNT:
I haven’t had any news overnight, but we do have very strong advice from the Australian Medical Authorities – the TGA, which is our medical regulator, the Chief Medical Officer, and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, as well as the World Health Organisation and the European Medicines Agency – saying they see no pattern, no causation, and they strongly recommend continuation of the vaccine.
NEIL MITCHELL:
I know you’re aware of the reports out of France of a mutation of the virus which does not show up in test. It shows up as a negative.
GREG HUNT:
So we have, sort of, a living clinical evidence review team which is looking at all of the different reports. We’d be cautious about newspaper reports.
They work directly with authorities from around the world. And so, there are always, sort of, new developments globally – some of them turn out to be factual, some of them turn out not to be.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So you’ve heard about this one?
GREG HUNT:
I’m aware of the reports. I don’t have any advice yet on the on the reality of it.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Well, it’s disturbing if it’s right, isn’t it?
GREG HUNT:
Well, this- You know, this whole pandemic – and this is, I think, it’s the really important thing to take away – we’ve now reached 200,000 vaccinations; we’ve had 45 days of zero cases.
As a country we’ve adapted; we’ve helped lead the world; we’ve had some of the best results in the world; we’ve protected Australians; and, we’ll just have to continue to adapt.
That’s the global challenge with a disease that, as the PM says, it writes its own rules. But, we have worked to a national plan, and today is about the next stage of that national plan over the course of the coming months, through to the middle of the year.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay, well and the other thing – Papua New Guinea, any update there? That’s quite scary what’s happening up there, isn’t it?
GREG HUNT:
It is very serious. The Prime Minister is giving a press conference this morning.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay.
GREG HUNT:
On our response, and we’ve taken it very seriously. We are concerned for the people of PNG, but of course, also concerned about any risk of that flowing over to Australia.
And so, we’ll be supporting PNG with a very significant package – I don’t want to pre-empt the PM’s announcement which he’s been working through with Queensland and with the PNG Prime Minister.
NEIL MITCHELL:
And just finally, caller off air: will what’s happening here affects the roll out of the flu vaccine at all?
GREG HUNT:
No. No. That is a great question. So, the flu vaccine is also going to be rolled out during the course of April going forwards – creates a challenge for the country, but we’re up for that.
The only medical requirement which has been put in place, is not out- on the basis of any evidence of conflict between the vaccines but simply on the basis that they haven’t been tested together, that it’s requested that there’s two weeks gap between any of the different vaccinations.
So, that’s just something that we’ll manage. And that’s the thing about Australia, – we’ve managed right throughout to adapt things that we never imagined we would have to do or could do, we’ve done as a country.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay. And just– We’re still getting messages about problems with the clinics, so we’ll pass them to your office.
GREG HUNT:
Yeah, please do. Please do.
And as I say, be patient because not everybody will be able to do it. Those clinics will make their own decisions on who they’re able to do and they might book people in for weeks five, which starts next week – or six, or seven, or eight, or nine, or ten during the course of it.
Because, as I say, six million people won’t be able to be done in one week, you know, next week there’ll be over 600,000 vaccines available for first doses around the country. Not all of those will be done next week, but it will build and it will build.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay. Thank you so much. Greg Hunt, the Federal Health Minister.