Department of Health – Primary Health Care COVID-19 Response Teleconference 8 December 2021 – Meeting notes from Dr Maria Boulton
The Primary Care Implementation Group (PCIG) is an online meeting that includes most primary healthcare peak bodies. It is convened weekly by the Department of Health as part of the COVID-19 response. Dr Maria Boulton attends on behalf of the AGPA. Read more
The latest vaccination data shows the its importance of General Practice to Australian Heathcare having delivered over 20M or approximately 50% of the 40M vaccination doses administered to date.
The results of the AGPA survey on COVID in the Community – GP Care indicates that most GPs consider the risks to their Practices and other patients to be too high and they are too busy with the regular roles of General Practice; so they not intending to participate in the program.
ATAGI have made a number of recent statements which are important for Practices participating in the COVID vaccination program.
Following submissions and lobbying via forums such as the PCIG and Senate inquiries two of the issues on the AGPA agenda have had positive responses from the Commonwealth Government.
The 2021 AGM of the Australian GP Alliance was held on 18 November.
In his report AGPA Chair, Dr John Deery outlined the work that the AGPA had done over the past year lobbying for PPE and consumables for the COVID vaccination program, proposing changes to the program to allow for pragmatic delivery of the program, lobbying for Pfizer delivery via GP and other submissions and public advocacy for GP by the Directors.
The COVID -19 Primary Care Taskforce have released their latest update expressing concerns about reports of bulk vaccine exemptions being issued by some Doctors and warming against this.
On 8 October 2021 the DoH released a framework for work permissions and restrictions framework for workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 in a healthcare setting.
This framework supports safe decision making when determining whether to place work permissions/restrictions, independent of quarantine, on a worker after a COVID-19 exposure in a health care setting in the context of an outbreak and community transmission of COVID-19.
The Framework is here
Over 34 M Vaccine doses have been administered to date.
Over 50% have been administered by General Practice
