People in the ACT better protected following vaccination announcement
8 April 2020
Families with children aged 10 and older will today be able to access the influenza vaccination through community pharmacy. This means more members of the ACT Community can access vital influenza vaccinations prior to the flu season, through their local professional pharmacist.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has welcomed decisions by the ACT Government to: lower the age of influenza vaccination in community Pharmacy to 10 years old; remove the restriction on administering the influenza vaccination to a person who is pregnant; and for the first time to enable trained pharmacists in the ACT to administer measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines to people aged 16 and older.
PSA ACT Branch President Renae Beardmore said this announcement is timely given the ongoing threat of COVID-19 leading into the flu season and also brings the ACT in-line with other states and territories.
“At a time when our health care system is under extreme pressure due to COVID-19, increasing options for more people in the ACT to access vaccinations is vital,” Ms Beardmore said.
“The decision to lower the age to 10 years and older for the influenza vaccine will protect younger children and make it more convenient for families, improving rates of immunisation across the ACT.
“Pharmacists are more accessible to the community than any other health provider and combined with the trust consumers have in the profession, these changes will allow pharmacists to make a greater contribution to increasing immunity across the ACT.
Ms Beardmore commended the Government’s decision to allow pharmacists to protect more people in the ACT from influenza and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
“As the peak national body for pharmacists, PSA has advocated for many years, including most recently in PSA’s 2020-21 ACT pre-budget submission, to allow pharmacists to deliver more vaccinations to a wider range of patients.
“PSA will continue to work closely with the ACT Government to remove barriers which restrict pharmacists from administering other vaccines to better protect the community.”
PSA Contact: Angela Drayton: 0419 241 344
