FRAN KELLY:
Well, from today, 6 million Australians become eligible for their COVID-19 vaccines, as the rollout begins its second phase, with GPs set to spearhead the next step. Under Phase 1B, that's the new stage kicking off today, people aged 70 and over, critical workers like police and firefighters, those with underlying health conditions and Indigenous Australians over the age of 55, can all now apply to get vaccinated. This coincides with the Australian Medical Regulator, the TGA, approving the domestic production of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Professor, Michael Kidd, is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer. Michael, welcome back to Breakfast.
MICHAEL KIDD:
Thanks, Fran.
FRAN KELLY:
Can we just go to that TGA approval for domestic production of AstraZeneca? How many doses a week will be produced now in Australia? What's the target?
MICHAEL KIDD:
So, the target is for CSL to be producing a million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine each week. We still have another process which the TGA will be going through over the next few days, and that's its batch testing, to make sure that the initial batch of the vaccine that's been produced by CSL meets all the quality requirements, which applies obviously to every vaccine that's allowed to be used in Australia. And once that batch testing has been completed and the TGA is satisfied, then those doses will be released and they'll start to be distributed around the country.
FRAN KELLY:
So, I mean, that would be a game changer, I would imagine, for a mass vaccination effort, a million a week. When do you expect CSL to be churning out a million doses of this vaccine a week?
MICHAEL KIDD:
We expect that to happen very quickly. So this has been part of the planning -
FRAN KELLY:
[Talks over] April?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Over the next few weeks, yes.
FRAN KELLY:
Okay, and how soon will the locally produced doses be delivered to GPs? Because doctors are reportedly being told they'll start seeing those doses in about 12 weeks. But that seems a very slow, if this rollout is to go to time?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Yes. No, we expect those doses from CSL to start rolling out over the coming week or so.
FRAN KELLY:
Which would mean doctors would no longer- practices, would no longer be limited to 50 doses a week or 100 doses a week, which some are getting now?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Well, at the moment, there's practices receiving 50, 100, 200 doses a week, depending on where they are and the size of their practices. As we get more doses available through the CSL production, practices will be able to apply for increased doses. This will be based on how they're going with utilising the doses which they've already received and also, what's happening in the rest of their locality. So, in some parts of the country, we have a large number of practices which are rolling out the vaccine to the local community and other parts of the country there may only be one practice, which is rolling out the vaccine. So, it depends on the logistics in each part of the country.
FRAN KELLY:
And how do people find that out? I mean, had a pretty rocky start. As we mentioned on the program last Thursday, people were ringing in saying, I've tried to book and it's crashed already or it doesn't have my GP or I can't get onto my GP. And there's been a lot of stories since, the website's crashed and it's just been very difficult for people. So, how- who is organising this? And should the message now be to people that there will be places, but you shouldn't perhaps ring this week to try and get an appointment or you should look at getting an appointment in a month's time? Is that the message you want to get through to people?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Yes, certainly people need to be patient. There's no panic to get this vaccine. There's going to be plenty of vaccine available to everybody and this phase of the vaccine rollout is happening over the next two to three months. And so, people can find out whether they're eligible for going to the health.gov.au website. Looking at the vaccine eligibility checker, which is the top item on the website and seeing if they're eligible. They'll then be able to find out where the vaccine is being distributed at the moment in their local geographic area. At the moment, there are a thousand general practices which will be starting to deliver the vaccine over this coming week. But over the next four weeks, there'll be over 4500 general practices, which will be involved in the rollout and those practices, as they come online, their details will start to appear on the web checker as well.
FRAN KELLY:
Okay. So, this is important - if you go to the eligibility checker and there's not one near you or you might be in a regional area and there's not - you know, there's one a long way from you. You should wait a week or two to see if more GP clinics are coming online?
MICHAEL KIDD:
That's right. So, we will have 4500 practices, we'll have well over 100 of the Commonwealth funded general practice led respiratory clinics around the country and we'll have Aboriginal medical services right across the country delivering the vaccine. And of course, the states and territories through their hubs will start delivering the vaccine under 1B, once they complete the 1A rollout.
FRAN KELLY:
And the Government's promised [indistinct] of 100 vaccine clinics, where will they be and when will they be up and running?
MICHAEL KIDD:
So, these are the established general practice respiratory clinics, which were established over the past year to do COVID-19 testing and assessment of people with respiratory symptoms. Many of those clinics are now also pivoting, to be able to deliver the vaccine to large numbers of people. Importantly, people without a Medicare card won't be able to get the vaccine from general practices, but they will be able to get the vaccine from the general practice respiratory clinics or the state and territory hubs.
FRAN KELLY:
Okay. And they're all listed on the website too?
MICHAEL KIDD:
As they come online, so as they're ready to start administering the vaccine, their details will start appearing on the vaccine eligibility checker.
FRAN KELLY:
Now, another glitch, obviously, is the floods. It's disrupted the rollout for parts of some towns and cities in flood areas of New South Wales. How many clinics won't be able to go ahead with vaccinations at this stage?
MICHAEL KIDD:
So, at the moment, we're still waiting to find out how many clinics have been affected by the floods. Obviously, safety is the first priority, Fran, so we have to make sure it's safe to deliver the vaccine to those areas of New South Wales, which are badly affected by the floods. And of course, there are some clinics which have had to close as a result of the floods as well. So, as soon as the roads clear and it's safe to do so, the vaccine deliveries will continue to those sites and those practices will get their doses.
FRAN KELLY:
Yeah, probably not much we can do about that. Just briefly, we're almost at the news, but some people are asking, too, should- it's around the time of year, some people get their flu shot. Should we get our flu shots?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Look, yes, you're right. So, April, we start rolling out the influenza vaccine. I think it's important that people plan their flu shot, because you do need that two weeks between getting the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu shot or the other way around. And so if you plan it, get your flu shot now and then you can get you COVID vaccine shot two weeks later.
FRAN KELLY:
And that's not going to overstretch the GP clinics who are trying to rollout the vaccine? The COVID vaccine?
MICHAEL KIDD:
So, general practices will be involved in delivering the flu shots, as they always are. So, of course, we'll- many community pharmacies and other sites around the country.
FRAN KELLY:
Alright. Michael Kidd, thank you very much
MICHAEL KIDD:
Thanks, Fran.
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