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GPs urge government to increase supply of children’s vaccines as 35,000 jabbed on first day

Ellen RansleyNCA NewsWire
5yr old Jake Washington receives his first dose of the Covid -19 Vaccine NT children aged 5-11 can now get their vaccinations. NT Health will facilitate Picture Julianne Osborne
Camera Icon5yr old Jake Washington receives his first dose of the Covid -19 Vaccine NT children aged 5-11 can now get their vaccinations. NT Health will facilitate Picture Julianne Osborne Credit: News Corp Australia

More than 35,000 children aged five to 11 were vaccinated on the first day of their eligibility, but many families have had their appointments cancelled at short notice due to short supply.

Doctors across the country are calling for governments to urgently address the shortages.

On Monday, more than two million children aged five to 11 became eligible for their Covid-19 vaccination, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying there were enough doses for every child to have one before school resumed.

Deputy chief medical officer Michael Kidd said the program had started “fantastically”, with 35,000 jabs administered at 6000 different sites across the country.

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But many GPs are unable to access adequate supplies or cope with demand, with some practices reporting they’re receiving only 50 to 100 doses a week.

Children Vaccinations
Camera IconWhile some children are confident in going to a vaccination hub to get their jab, GPs say most parents want their kids to go to their local doctor. Julianne Osborne Credit: News Corp Australia

Australian Medical Association NSW chair Michael Bonning said given the rollout had been going for 11 months, it was “frustrating” that there were still such serious speed bumps.

“Lots of people are booked and there aren’t enough doses to go around. And even then, for many of the practices who did receive vaccines, it’s nowhere near enough to meet the demand that they have from parents out there in the community,” Dr Bonning told Today.

“We’ve come to trust the government over the last eight or nine months of getting vaccine out to practices, and then to have probably the most important part of the rollout in terms of confidence building for children, not play out well at its opening moments … It’s really difficult to then rebuild that trust.

“People had planned for this, and now there’s uncertainty.”

Professor Kidd said he “recognised” that many parents would like to get their children vaccinated by their GP, but if that wasn’t possible they should consider other options.

“If you look around there are pharmacies in your local area, the state and territory vaccination clinics are opening up and offering appointments,” he told Sunrise.

“There are new appointments coming online all the time as deliveries arrive at general practices and pharmacies around the country.”

Children Vaccinations
Camera IconGPs are not able to order enough vaccine supply to meet demand. Picture Julianne Osborne Credit: News Corp Australia

Royal Australian College of GPs president Karen Price said it was becoming “all too common” for appointments to be moved due to lack of supply.

“We must ensure that vaccine supplies reach practices so that GPs and general practice teams can get on with the job of vaccinating our children,” Dr Price said.

“With term one of school fast approaching, action is needed.”

GPs say the government also did not consider the extra time it takes to vaccinate a child, nor the fact many parents want children to get the jab with their doctor and not at a mass-vaccination hub.

“(GPs are) absolutely the best place for kids to get vaccinated. It’s the place that kids are most comfortable,” Dr Bonning said.

“Going to get a jab can be a scary experience. It’s upsetting for lots of kids, and lots of parents as well.

“So doing it in an environment with a doctor and a nurse who you know is the best place to get it done.

“It’s the one that will secure the most people actually going and getting their vaccine, so it’s frustrating when there’s that loss of trust.”

COVID BRISBANE
Camera IconDoctors say more supply needs to be directed to GPs. NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia

In order to get the rollout back on track, Dr Bonning said the government needed to stop talking, and start doing.

“Not just say ‘oh, there’s definitely enough vaccines out there’. They need to show that by there being vaccine access in everyone’s general practices,” he said.

Newcastle GP Anna Davidson, who runs a local practice, said the federal authorities needed to talk directly with general practices around the country.

“Our reality is (because of the ordering system) we are limited to 50 vaccines a week,” Dr Davidson told ABC radio.

“It’s an impossibility to try and think about how we’re going to vaccinate all children … that just doesn’t cut it.

“I would say to (Covid-19 vaccination commander) Lieutenant General John Frewen that the government really needs to change their ordering system so GPs can order exactly what they can deliver.”

Mr Morrison said there were 6000 places people could go to get children vaccinated.

“There are 835,000 vaccines in those places right now as of last Friday, and more would have been added to that since last Friday,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

”The aim here is to have as many of the places where you can go and get it.

“If you can’t get it from where you would normally go, know there are 5999 and more other places where these vaccines are on the shelves.”

Originally published as GPs urge government to increase supply of children’s vaccines as 35,000 jabbed on first day

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