At least 140 experts schooled by government on vaccination plan to prevent misinformation

Almost 150 experts have been hauled into coronavirus vaccine education sessions over fears their commentary could undermine confidence to get the jab.

Almost 150 experts have been hauled into coronavirus vaccine education sessions following fears their public commentary could undermine Australian’s confidence to get the jab.

Two government-run webinars have been held in the past month for epidemiologists and infectious diseases experts.

The first was prompted by joint concerns about the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine and calls to stop it from being used in Australia’s immunisation strategy.

The AstraZeneca jab has an efficacy rate of between 62-90 per cent depending on the doses.

Opinions about the coronavirus vaccines and the government’s plan from at least 140 experts that have attended the sessions – the latest which was held on Thursday – are understood to have been diverse.

But top government advisers have deemed the webinars highly successful with some experts acknowledging they had got the ‘wrong end of the stick’ and felt reassured by the discussion.

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The AstraZeneca vaccine can be made onshore, unlike the Pfizer vaccine which has to be imported. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

The approach to prevent the spread of misinformation through education comes as the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on Friday finished its work on the imported AstraZeneca vaccine, sending a report back to the company to answer its questions.

The process is expected to take at least a week before a regulatory decision about the vaccine is made.

The majority of Australians will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is expected to be approved for all age groups and administered in two doses.

However, the AstraZeneca doses made at CSL in Melbourne will also need to be checked to ensure that the batches are high quality and the same as the global sources.

That data is not expected to be available until mid-March but the TGA is expected to process it within a few days.

Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy told a parliamentary committee that a vaccine would put an end to disruptive measures established in response to outbreaks. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

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Scott Morrison this week confirmed that the government had struck a deal for another 10 million Pfizer doses, doubling Australia’s order for a jab considered the world’s most effective protection from COVID-19.

The prime minister was also forced to reprimand Coalition backbencher Craig Kelly, who was told to refrain from spreading coronavirus conspiracy theories on social media that fly in the face of government medical advice.

Professor Brendan Murphy told national cabinet on Friday that the COVID-19 vaccination rollout was on track to commence in late February for priority groups.

“We will be offering the Pfizer vaccine to border workers, quarantine workers, very exposed frontline healthcare workers, such as ICU, emergency department, and most importantly, the most vulnerable people – people in residential aged care, residential disability care, and those workers,” he said.