COVID-19 vaccination blitz in Alice Springs avoids near-expired Pfizer vaccines being dumped
Dozens of people lined up for a ‘first-come, first-served’ COVID jab on Saturday after an NT health organisation announced it had doses that would expire by the end of the day if not administered.
Northern Territory
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DOZENS of people lined up for a “first-come, first-served” Pfizer jab on Saturday, after a Central Australian health organisation announced it had 160 doses that would expire by the end of the day if not administered.
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC) put a call-out on its Facebook page and contacted its clients to let them know it had received left over doses from a batch delivered to disability services across Alice Springs.
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CAAC chief executive Donna Ah Chee said the drive was a success, with all doses given before the expiry deadline.
“I think we did extremely well,” she said.
“It was all hands on deck – we were contacted Friday morning about the vaccines and after a meeting we decided we should go for it and try get it out there, and I think this is a great response.”
Dr Ah Chee added that a “small number” of people were turned away due to running out of doses.
It comes after up to 50 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine were dumped following a slow uptake in some Central Australian clinics.
The AstraZeneca vaccine comes in a vile with 10 doses and has a shelf life of just two days once opened, leaving some clinicians unable to administer all doses in the prescribed time frame.
Dr Ah Chee said that CAAC had introduced to strategies to minimise vaccine wastage, including limiting administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Fridays, given that doses from unfinished vials would no longer be usable after the weekend.
She said CAAC would also return unused vaccines that are within three months of their expiry date.
“If we do have too much stock we’re going to make sure it’s returned … so that it can be used elsewhere,” Dr Ah Chee said.
Health professionals are concerned about vaccine hesitancy, particularly in remote communities where there is a slow uptake.
Australian Medical Association NT president Dr Robert Parker said the Northern Territory in particular was of concern when it comes to vaccine hesitancy.
“Having not seen the effects of COVID-19 here in the Northern Territory and having had all the publicity of the potential side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine, it’s left people concerned,” he said.
“It’s also a concern for people with low health literacy, which is fairly common among Indigenous communities in the Territory.”
Dr Parker pointed to better communication by government to the community as the key to reducing vaccine hesitancy.
Originally published as COVID-19 vaccination blitz in Alice Springs avoids near-expired Pfizer vaccines being dumped
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