12 August 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging the world since March 2020 and the rollout of the COVID -19 vaccines within Australia has been a much-debated topic.
COVID-19 vaccines have been developed to protect people against the ‘severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2’ virus (or ‘SARS-CoV-2’) and have been identified as safe and effective for a large majority of the population.1
The Government’s immunisation strategy aims to minimise the severe health impacts and outcomes for identified cases and the subsequent impact on the number of people requiring hospitalisation, intensive care or even resulting in the death of people contracting COVID -19 and the reduction in the requirement for lockdowns and their social and economic effects.
The current COVID 19 outbreak in New South Wales has illustrated how those vaccinated against COVID -19 have not experienced the severity of the illness as those who have not been vaccinated. Cases within NSW have escalated in the past week and the importance of suppression is evident.
The below table shows the number of cases detected in NSW since the start of the pandemic and more importantly, the number of cases detected within the last few weeks.
Table 1
The Doherty Report created Models of COVID-19 infection and vaccination to define a target level of vaccine coverage for transition to Phase B of the National Plan. The below table demonstrates the modelling with optimal Track, Trace, Isolate and Quarantine (TTIQ) measures shows the difference in the expected hospitalisations, ICU admissions and deaths with the varying percentage of population vaccinated.
Table 2 – Vaccine Coverage with Optimal TTIQ
Dr Michael Kidd, Australia’s acting Chief Medical Officer has reported this week
that of the more than 2,700 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in NSW between 16 June and 28 July, 93% of those people had not yet been vaccinated, and 6% had been vaccinated with only one of the two doses.
He said there had been no notified cases of fully vaccinated people who had required admission to hospital, apart from a small number of aged-care residents who were moved out of their facility as a precaution.
“No fully vaccinated people have been admitted to intensive care units,”Dr Kidd said.
“No people who are fully vaccinated have died from COVID-19 during this current outbreak. Four percent of people admitted to ICU with COVID-19 have received one dose of a vaccine; 96% of those admitted to ICU are currently unvaccinated.”
The importance of vaccination has never been clearer, and the ANMF has a clear policy on vaccination and immunisation which states immunisation is a safe and practical public health program which protects people from many diseases, preventing the spread of disease throughout the population and within specific communities and that immunisation serves three specific purposes in relation to nurses and midwives:
a) Nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing* who are vaccinated are part of the general population and contribute to ‘herd immunity’;
b) Nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing who are vaccinated assist in preventing the spread of disease in health care settings; and
c) Vaccination provides a level of protection in relation to the health of nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing who are exposed to diseases in health care settings, and therefore contributes to prevention of work-related disease.4
For more information visit:
COVID-19 section of our website
References
1. Micah DJ Peters PhD, Casey Marnie,
ANMF_COVID-19_Resource-COVID-19_vaccines_contraindications_and_precautionary_advice.pdf
2. Table 1 -
COVID-19 in NSW - up to 8pm 8 August 2021 - COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
3. Table 2 -
Doherty Modelling Report for National Cabinet 30 July 21 DohertyModelling_NationalPlan_including_adendmum.pdf
4.
ANMF Vaccination and Immunisation Policy