South West general practitioner supports move to fund COVID-19 vaccines under National Immunisation Program

A South West general practitioner has welcomed funding changes to the COVID-19 vaccine which will now only be free to those in high risk groups. Replacing the National COVID-19 Vaccine Program created during the pandemic response, COVID-19 vaccines will be funded under the National Immunisation Program from October 1. Under the NIP, free vaccines would be made available for high-risk groups which included adults aged 75 years and over, 65-74 year-olds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged between 50-74 and adults aged 18-64 who have severe immunocompromise. Brecken Health owner and general practitioner Brenda Murrison said while COVID-19 was a high-risk disease when it first arrived, it had since moved to the same category as normal influenza, while people were also now vaccinated and had access to the relevant medication and treatment. “It’s moved to what we call endemic, meaning it’s common in our communities,” she said.