The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed the Government bringing forward 500,000 Pfizer vaccines under a "dose swap" arrangement with Singapore.
Half a million Pfizer doses will arrive this week in Australia from Singapore, which already has 80% COVID-19 vaccination rates. The same amount will be sent back to Singapore in December this year.
Ensuring greater supply now will help speed up the vaccine rollout at a critical time, with 60% of Australia's population living under lockdown. Just over half of these vaccines will go to general practices nation-wide.
RACGP President Dr Karen Price said that the announcement was a positive step forward in the vaccine rollout.
"The rollout has encountered many challenges; however, these supplies arriving now in Australia makes the task that much easier," she said.
"It means that practices that were meant to start delivering Pfizer vaccines on 20 September will now start doing so a week earlier on 13 September, alongside those practices already scheduled to start on this date.
"These practices will initially receive 150 doses, before building up to 300 doses per week. They will have until midnight Wednesday to submit their vaccine orders.
"I'm pleased to report that the practices coming on board on 13 September will be weighted towards regional, rural and remote areas. The college has said from day one that we must do everything possible to improve vaccine accessibility outside of major cities.
"The practices due to commence on 27 September and 4 October will still start on those dates. This means that momentum will continue to build in the weeks and months ahead, providing more options for getting vaccinated in communities across Australia."
Dr Price said that general practices were doing a tremendous job.
"Despite the vaccine rollout not always going smoothly and some general practice staff being subject to abuse from frustrated patients, vaccinations have continued apace at practices across Australia," she said.
"General practice truly is the backbone of the nation's vaccine rollout. GPs are not renowned for drawing attention to themselves; we quietly go about our jobs without much fanfare. As a result, I believe practices have not received enough recognition for delivering so many vaccines in 2021.
"On behalf of the entire college I say well done and keep up the great work. In time, people will see the herculean achievements of practices taking part in this rollout.
"With more practices coming on board to deliver the Pfizer vaccines, I am confident that the rollout will gain momentum. This will help protect not only individual patients but the broader community.
"It is important to remember that some patient groups, such as those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women or the immunocompromised, are more vulnerable to the severe effects of this virus.
"So, getting as many vaccines into arms as quickly as possible is vital in keeping them safe. When deciding on whether to get vaccinated, please don't just think about yourself – think of people who are at heightened risk of being hospitalised or worse if they contract COVID-19."
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