SA kids aged 12-15 can get Pfizer vaccination from Monday, private gathering caps ease

SA kids aged 12 to 15 will be eligible for a Covid vaccine from Monday – the only issue is finding a clinic. Meanwhile, changes to private gathering rules came into effect overnight.

South Australian kids aged 12 to 15 will be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine from Monday but they won’t be able to go to one of SA Health’s vaccination hubs to get the jab.

SA Health has not yet committed a date to opening up its mass-vaccination hubs to the younger cohort.

Instead, parents will need to book an appointment with their local GP clinic, if it is offering vaccines to children, or at a commonwealth-run clinic.

Prominent Adelaide GP Rod Pearce, who is also chair of the Immunisation Coalition and a former AMA SA president, said the inconsistency was frustrating.

“There is an irony here that South Australia was the first to open up vaccines to 16 year olds in the country and also the first to open up to those aged 16 (at a mass clinic) at Wayville,” he said.

“It is interesting to note they now delaying offering the vaccine to 12-year-olds when there is no technical reason not to.

“I can’t see why we wouldn’t open up to vaccinate 12-to-15-year-olds (at SA Health clinics). Just go for it, it has been approved by the TGA.”

Dr Pearce said the process to get your family vaccinated should be simplified, not made more difficult by questions of whose responsibility – state or federal – it should be to roll out the vaccine program.

“The focus should be on transparency, openness and encouragement … it should be straightforward but instead it is made harder and more complicated than it needs to be,” he said.

“(It) creates doubt and uncertainty … this whole roll the dice approach makes a predictable rollout difficult.”

A spokeswoman for SA Health said for now, only Indigenous children aged 15 and under, others from remote communities and those with specific medical conditions could be vaccinated at SA Health clinics.

However, parents are reportedly already securing bookings for children aged 12-15 at SA Health’s Noarlunga Covid clinic.

A Prospect mum told The Advertiser she had made a booking at Noarlunga last week for her son, aged 14, via the website. Several of her friends had done the same.

“None of us were asked anything about special (medical) needs,” she said.

Dr Pearce advised any parents confused over the rollout plan for children to call their local GP.

He estimated 80 to 90 per cent of those who could offer vaccines were doing so.

“Despite the fact GPs aren’t being supported to do this, they remain the most reliable source of information in terms of where to get the vaccine and what the recommendations are,” he said.

However, he urged people be patient.

“The paperwork, bureaucracy and uncertainty is putting a major stress on practices,” Dr Pearce said.

“Don’t take it out on the GP for not having it.”

Restrictions ease for private activities

A slight easing of restrictions for private activities has come into effect overnight as SA once again recorded no new cases.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens announced on Tuesday a new limit of 150 guests at weddings and other private gatherings at non-licensed venues, up from 50.

But dancing remains restricted. If there are more than 50 people present you cannot dance. And if people are singing, they must wear a mask. Other existing requirements remain.

Also, if more than 50 people are present, you must have a Covid marshal who is independent, for example, not a relative, and not impaired by alcohol or drugs. There must also be an approved contract tracing system and QR code check-ins

Mr Stevens warned the new rules did not mean people could have a large private party at home.

“This is the point that probably has been lost in the messaging, at this point the number of people you can have at home is still restricted to 20 people,” Mr Stevens told ABC Radio Adelaide.

“A private activity is a group of a group or a gathering outside of the home and that can be up to 150 people.”

Mr Stevens said the changes were made after listening to some of the concerns raised by small businesses involved in the wedding sector.

But event businesses told The Advertiser the changes still did not go far enough.

Kelly Markos, who owns wedding venues Utopia @ Waterfall Gully and Glanville Hall, said people cancelled two upcoming events at her businesses within five minutes of Tuesday’s announcement.

“Both have been holding out, hoping for good news (on dancing restrictions),” Ms Markos said. “This honestly wasn’t any sort of easing at all.”

“(Dancing) was the one restriction we are desperate to have lifted. This is the one restriction with the potential to save our last few events.”