Covid Vaccinations in Community Pharmacy - Update

NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards

The NSW Pharmacist Standards have been amended to include the administration of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine, to people aged 18 years and older. Pharmacists immunisers must ensure they remain up to date on any new advice and only administer vaccines in accordance with:

all advice provided by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), and
the current Therapeutic Goods Administration Approved Product Information (PI) for the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1-S) solution for injection multidose vial, and
The digital Australian Immunisation Handbook’.

Informed consent

Authorised Pharmacist Immunisers must ensure that informed consent has been obtained, including by providing relevant information and the opportunity for the patient to ask questions or raise any relevant health concerns. Patients should not receive the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine if they have a history of any of the following:

Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (CVST)
Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT)
Idiopathic splanchnic (mesenteric, portal or splenic) venous thrombosis
Anti-phospholipid syndrome with thrombosis
Anaphylaxis, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia (TTS) or other serious adverse event attributed to the first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
History of anaphylaxis to a component of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

A person with a contraindication or precaution to a vaccine must instead be referred to a medical practitioner.

Informed consent must be documented either :

a) through written consent from each patient to whom a COVID-19 vaccine is supplied (by way of administration) and retain a copy of that consent using the Australian Government Department of Health COVID-19 vaccination – Consent form for COVID-19 vaccination, or
b) through the pharmacist using the Australian Government Department of Health COVID-19 vaccination – Consent form for COVID-19 vaccination and making a record of patient responses to questions contained in that document, obtaining verbal consent from the patient and the pharmacist retaining the record of consent in an electronic platform. The record must be able to be produced on request.

Monitor for adverse events following vaccination

People should be advised to monitor for signs of an adverse event following vaccination and should seek immediate medical attention if they develop any of the following symptoms after vaccination:

severe or persistent headache, blurred vision, confusion or seizures
shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling or persistent abdominal pain
unusual skin bruising and/or pinpoint round spots beyond the site of vaccination.

The most common time period for onset of TTS symptoms is 4–30 days after vaccination

COVID-19 vaccinations must be provided free of charge

The Australian Government is committed to offering every person in Australia access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines at no cost. Vaccination providers cannot charge to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is free and the consult appointment for patients to receive the vaccination is also free. Charging a patient any costs associated with the administration of the COVID-19 vaccination (including booking fees) is a breach of the requirements under the program.

For more information on this is available on the Commonwealth Department of Health website: https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/information-for-covid-19-vaccination-providers

Vaccination site preparedness

Information on how to prepare your pharmacy for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is also available on the Commonwealth website: COVID-19 vaccination – Site requirements for COVID-19 vaccination in community pharmacies.

NSW VACCINATION STANDARDS