Northern beaches: GPs refuse to vaccinate babies over coronavirus fears
A GP practice in Narrabeen is refusing to give babies their regular vaccinations in case they pass the coronavirus onto staff, as they complain they haven’t been given enough protective wear.
Manly
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A northern beaches mum claims her family GP practice told her it was no longer giving babies their routine immunisations over fears children could easily spread COVID-19 to staff.
The mother-of-two from Warriewood, who did not want to be named, said her baby was due his four-month jabs from her GP at Narrabeen Family Medical Practice.
The immunisations will protect him from diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, whooping cough, haemophilus influenzae b and polio.
But when she called up she said she was told the practice was no longer doing face-to-face appointments to protect their own staff.
“I am furious,” the mum said.
“I have a newborn.
“This is just another layer of stress I don’t need.
“I’m already having to travel the length of the northern beaches just trying to find baby formula to feed my baby because everyone is panic buying and now this.”
Dr Nicholas Bernard from the Narrabeen Family Medical Practice, which has 10 GPs, last week confirmed to the Manly Daily that it was no longer doing face-to-face appointments, but has not responded to subsequent requests for comment about specifically refusing to give children their regular injections.
Dr Bernard said last week they could deal with 90 per cent of their patients by phone and that the reason for no face-to-face appointments was to “reduce transmission of the virus in the waiting room and protect my own staff”.
“I see this as the best compromise to provide an ongoing service,” he said.
He said patients that could not be helped over the phone should seek help at their local hospital.
He also said many children with COVID-19 are asymptomatic, or have mild symptoms, so could spread the virus to staff.
Professor Ian Frazer, a top immunologist at the University of Queensland, said the two, four and six month vaccine schedule was important to protect the baby from “real risks like whooping cough”.
“We have no definitive evidence about coronavirus infectivity from children but asymptomatic children probably pose a low risk (in comparison to symptomatic adults) and again usual infection control precautions should be sufficient to protect the medical staff,” he said.
However, last week Dr Bernard said GPs had not been provided with adequate protection and his practice received just 200 masks, no protective gowns or eyewear.
A spokesman from Sydney North Health Network said it was unable to comment on the impact of delaying vaccinations, but it was supporting local general practices in a number of ways including supplying surgical and P2 masks from the national stockpile as requested, offering training and support on infection control guidelines and setting up and a telehealth dedicated web page to collate the information coming from varying sources.
“We are also working closely with the Department of Health to establish GP-led respiratory clinics, which aim to divert the flow of higher risk patients away from general practice, so that they can continue to safely see patients for non-respiratory related conditions,” the spokesman said.
A spokesman from Northern Beaches Hospital said its onsite medical centre could provide children with their regular vaccinations, if parents called ahead.