A reminder from NSW Health to immunisation providers:
Influenza vaccine supply update
All influenza vaccine orders for persons aged 5 years to 64 years who are Aboriginal, medically at risk or pregnant placed from 22 April onwards are now in back order.
Orders will be filled when more influenza vaccines stock becomes available in June 2020.
Orders for persons aged 65 years and over are also temporarily out of stock. Orders placed from 22 April are in back order but will be filled when more stock is available at the end of this week, i.e. 1 May 2020.
There has been unprecedented demand for influenza vaccine early in the season. Of the 2.6 million doses ordered for the 2020 season, more than 2.1 million doses have been distributed since 30 March 2020, compared to 1 million doses distributed at the same time in 2019.
Influenza activity in NSW remains low and there is still time to get vaccinated. The recommended timing for influenza vaccination is 3 to 4 months before peak flu season, generally June to September.
Orders placed for children 6 months to less than 5 years are not affected and will be delivered as per normal. However, to preserve supply, the total number of doses available per order has been reduced.
To assist people in the community seeking influenza vaccination, a list of providers with available vaccine supply is available on the NSW Health seasonal influenza vaccination 2020 webpage at https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/flu.aspx.
Drive-in Immunisation Clinics
Guidelines to support practices considering drive-in immunisation clinics are now available on the NSW Health website. Drive in immunisation clinics are not routinely recommended due to safety concerns for patients that may experience a rare adverse event following immunisation. Immunisation providers considering this option after reviewing existing advice for maintaining and implementing vaccinations clinics during COVID-19 should consider the following guidelines:
We thank you for your hard work during these challenging and unprecedented times. Further updates will be provided on the NSW State Vaccine Centre online vaccine ordering website and via email/fax when stock becomes available.