Southern Vaccine Hub

Thank you for the important role you and your team are playing in the delivery of vaccinations across the community. This is an internal page where you can access the latest advice, resources, news and contacts to assist your vaccinators and clinic leads. Please do not share the content externally.

You can sign up to receive an email when this page is updated.

Key links:

COVID-19: Vaccine operating and planning guidelines | Ministry of Health NZ v58
2024 Immunisation Handbook V1
National Immunisation Programme resources Dropbox
IMAC resources and guidelines
Subscribe to the Immunisation Advisory Centre newsletter

Bulletin board

Important announcements for clinical leads and staff.

COVID-19 MMR Boostrix Influenza Reminders

COVID-19

From 1 October 2024 RATs will be available to purchase from community pharmacies and retail shops

If you meet Pharmac’s eligibility criteria, you will still be able to access COVID-19 antiviral treatment medicine through your healthcare provider and pharmacy. Please get yourself free RATs while they are available https://info.health.nz/.../covid-19/antiviral-medicines

Public health advice for the management of COVID-19 remains unchanged https://info.health.nz/condi.../infectious-diseases/covid-19

Being up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations remains one of the best things we can do to protect ourselves from serious illness, hospitalisation, and death from COVID-19. You can book for yourself, a family member, or a group on bookmyvaccine.health.nz

Paediatric and infant Covid-19 vaccine expiry - 13 March 2024

A reminder to all providers who stock Paediatric and Infant Covid-19 vaccine, they have an expiry date coming up soon.

With upcoming public holiday delivery disruptions, please arrange to order more stock for you next delivery day and be sure to update the CIR inventory portal to reflect any wastage of expired vaccines.

Updated Covid-19 XBB.1.5 resources - 13 March 2024

IMAC has recently released a variety of up to date Covid-19 XBB.1.5 vaccine resources on their website.

You can find the full list of downloadable resources on the right side of the page after clicking this link, you can also find a link to IMAC's recent XBB webinar on this page as well.

Please note that "after your vaccination" resources will remain the same moving forward at this stage. We will keep you up to date if anything new comes through.

Vaccine logistics update and upcoming holiday delivery disruptions - 13 March 2024

Thank you for your continued hard work in the Covid vaccination space. As these vaccinations become more business as usual, and with the impending changes coming to the CIR inventory portal, Romilly and the logistics team are taking a small step back.

This means that you will no longer be receiving your weekly reminder from Romilly to order Covid vaccine. To receive vaccine on your delivery day, the order must be in by 3pm two days before.

Romilly is still available by phone on (03) 4769915 or 0272115565 or by email on romilly.smith@southerndhb.govt.nz for any questions about ordering or delivery.

In the coming month there are multiple public holidays. The first of which is Otago Anniversary Day on Monday 25th March; then Easter, Good Friday 29th March and Easter Monday 1st April; and Southland Anniversary Day will be 2nd April; also Anzac Day on Thursday 25th April.

There will be no deliveries on any of these days so if your delivery day is one of these days then make sure you have ample stock to cover three to four weeks of supply. There will also be no deliveries nationwide on Tuesday 2nd April because of Easter Monday. There will be no deliveries on 25th and 26th April because of Anzac Day.

If you have any questions, contact Romilly.

Covid-19 XBB.1.5 changeover - 6 March 2024

The transition to the new Covid-19 XBB.1.5 vaccine is happening Thursday the 7th of March. At close of business on the 6th of March please appropriately discard all old 30mcg primary and 15/15 Bivalent vaccine and update this wastage in the CIR inventory portal.

If you have any questions, please reach out to romilly.smith@southerndhb.govt.nz

Changes to COVID-19 testing advice for household contacts - 4 March 2024

Household contacts of a positive COVID-19 person who do not have COVID-19 symptoms themselves, are no longer recommended to test daily for 5 days with a rapid antigen test (RAT). Only household contacts who develop one or more COVID-19 symptoms are recommended to stay at home and RAT test for COVID-19.

You can find out more about this change on the Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora website

Covid-19 XBB.1.5 vaccine webinar – 29 February 2024

IMAC have recently held a webinar "Introducing Comirnaty 30mcg XBB.1.5 (12+ years) vaccine.

You can find a link to the recording of this webinar by clicking here

Up to date Covid resources – 25 January 2024

Please click the links below to find IMACs most up to date version of Covid vaccination documents.

Covid Vaccinator Immunisation Toolkit

Covid-19 vaccine booster guide for summer 2023-24

Waitangi Day logistics update – 25 January 2024

A reminder that there will be no deliveries on Tuesday the 6th and Wednesday the 7th of February due to the Waitangi Day public holiday. Please ensure that you are well equipped and have at least 3 weeks' worth of stock to cover the disruption as we won't be abler to accommodate out of schedule orders during this period.

If your regular vaccine delivery day is a Thursday you will need to place your orders no later than 3pm on Monday the 6th of February for this week as there won't be anyone in the office on Tuesday to approve these orders. We will send out a reminder to those affected closer to the time.

If you have any questions then please reach out to romilly.smith@southerndhb.govt.nz

New XBB variant vaccine confirmed – 25 January 2024

Medsafe have now approved the use of the new Pfizer Adult XBB variant vaccine. Release date is still unconfirmed but is expected to be released in February. These will come in multi-dose vials (packs of 10) as well as Single dose vials (packs of 10).

Click here to read the article by Pharmac confirming the change.

More comms and supporting docs to come in the weeks leading up to release.

Using Covid-19 vaccines during hot weather reminder – 25 January 2024

A reminder that vaccines must be stored and used within temperatures specified by the manufacturer, to ensure their safety, quality and efficacy.

During the summer, there is an increased risk of temperatures in ambient areas rising above the maximum permissible storage temperature of +25°C for NUVAXOVID and +30°C for Comirnaty vaccines.

It’s important that you regularly assess the areas in which vaccines may be stored, prepared and administered to identify any preventative measures if ambient temperatures are likely to increase.

You should also monitor temperatures frequently to ensure that they are stable and can use the Ambient Air Temperature Monitoring Record template from IMAC (Immunisation Advisory Centre).

Another step you can take is to manage workflows from storage and preparation to administration, to minimise the time the vaccine is outside refrigerator storage and help keep it at the correct temperature.

If you have any questions or concerns about vaccine storage, please contact your Immunisation Coordinator or call 0800 IMMUNE (0800 466 863).

New vaccine administration factsheet – 15 November 2023

For those who have not seen, IMAC have a new vaccine administration factsheet which we encourage you to print and have available for your vaccinators.
You can find this factsheet by clicking here.

Christmas/New Years logistics update – 15 November 2023

Please take careful note of when the LAST delivery day is for your facility from when your designated delivery day is. We strongly advise that you order on this day to ensure you have more than enough stock to carry you through until the middle of January as you will not be able to place orders between the 22nd of December and 8th of January.

If you have any questions then please reach out to romilly.smith@southerndhb.govt.nz

Covid Booster Update – 4 October 2023

Booster doses can continue to be administered to those who are eligible and wish to have one, regardless of how many doses they have had previously.
The eligibility criteria have not changed. As a reminder, additional COVID-19 boosters continue to be available for:

people aged 30 and over
people aged 16-29 who are pregnant and/or at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. (Please note: If a pregnant person presents for a second booster during the same pregnancy, clinical advice from IMAC can be sought to determine if an additional booster will be beneficial)

An additional booster dose is given at least 6 months after previous dose and recommended 6 months after COVID-19 illness or infection.
For people who are up to date with COVID-19 boosters, those who are most likely to benefit from another dose in late 2023 include:

Anyone aged 75 and older
Māori and Pacific people aged 65 and older
People aged 16 and older who are severely immunocompromised
People aged 30 to 74 with significant complex health needs that increase the risk of frailty (e.g., those living in residential care and those with long term medical conditions)

If you are going to recall patients, it is recommended that the focus is on those who are most likely to benefit from an additional dose in late 2023.

IMAC has developed a factsheet to provide guidance for booster doses in late 2023.

For more details on eligibility, refer to the Immunisation Handbook or call 0800 IMUNISE for clinical advice on the consumer’s risk and benefits of an additional COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.

Key links to Covid vaccine pages – 28 September 2023

Here are some key links to COVID vaccine pages. You will see that there are resources for each vaccine linked on the right side of the page.

Comirnaty-3mcg-Maroon cap
Comirnaty-10mcg-Orange cap
Comirnaty-30mcg and 15/15mcg Grey cap

Revised AIR cutover timing – 24 August 2023

The Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) Programme is planning for the ‘cutover’ of the National Immunisation Register (NIR) and the COVID-19 Immunisation Register (CIR) into the AIR in November 2023.

Previously, the AIR team were looking to perform the cutover in September, however with the September launch of the HPV Primary Screening Programme it was felt that it would introduce possible delivery risks and added complexity for the sector to deal with both changes.

‘Cutover’ refers to the AIR milestone of migrating the data from NIR and CIR with all systems, (including Practice/Patient Management Systems) currently connected to NIR to be reconnected to the AIR. All vaccinations for all age groups will be able to be recorded in the AIR while COVID-19 will be recorded either via the AIR Vaccinator portal or in PMS.

Training will be available for all system users and communications will continue as cutover approaches.
REMINDER next AIR webinar:
Date: 5 September 2023
Time: 2.00 – 3.00pm
To attend: Click here to register for this Webinar and the next one on 19 September

COVID-19 vaccine study provides further assistance of safety profile – 24 August 2023

The Vaccine Safety Surveillance and Research in the National Immunisation Programme has published a study about side effects of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in the journal Drug Safety.
The study did not identify any new safety signals and provides further reassurance about the safety profile of the vaccine, particularly from an Aotearoa New Zealand specific context.
This study is considered significant as it included over 4 million people (approx. 95% of the eligible population) who were vaccinated with a primary dose (first or second dose) of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during the first year of vaccinations in Aotearoa New Zealand. At the time, there was minimal to no community cases of COVID-19, which provided an ideal setting to study the effects of COVID-19 vaccination, especially as many of the conditions examined in the study are linked to COVID-19 infection.

Logistics update – 24 August 2023

Moving forward the minimum shelf life for any vaccine being ordered will be changed to 31 days from this week forward. This will support providers being able to carry a minimum of 3-4 weeks stock.

Midwife Vaccinator online course – 24 August 2023

Our online Midwife Vaccinator course has just been updated.

The tailored course provides midwives with immunisation knowledge relevant to their practice – including the National Immunisation Schedule changes, vaccine composition, safety of vaccines in pregnancy, administration of vaccines, and talking with parents about vaccines.

This course is approved as continuing midwifery education by the Midwifery Council and counts as 8 hours’ professional development.

It can be accessed from our LMS in the same way as other courses, or click here. The cost is $110.

Aotearoa NZ COVID-19 vaccinator online course – 24 August 2023

This updated course is now live, and replaces the online courses for COVID-19 Comirnaty grey cap 12+, Comirnaty orange cap 5+ and Nuvaxovid, as well as the webinar and resources for Comirnaty maroon cap. Note: This does not need to be completed if you have already completed the above courses.

This one course covers all four COVID-19 vaccines used in Aotearoa, and is essential education for all new COVID-19 vaccinators, covering topics such as safety, efficacy, eligibility, administration, and strategies for promoting vaccination.

It is a shorter course – approximately 2 hours, depending on previous experience and vaccines you will be administering. There is key information on all vaccines, with more detailed information available for those who are administering specific vaccines.

The course is a useful refresher for all COVID-19 vaccinators to ensure you have all the latest resources and guidance in one place.

Our new Learning Management system allows us to update this course as guidance changes, removing the need for different versions of the education and ensuring you always have access to the update information.

For free course access click here

Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR): Updates to System Support Channels for vaccine technology – 19 July 2023

There are two changes to the immunisation support channels which impacts all vaccine system users (i.e. AIR, CIR, & Book My Vaccine):

From 1 August 2023 the system support channels will not be monitored on Sundays. Support requests can continue to be logged on a Sunday but will be attended to from 8am on Monday.
The new phone number sequencing for system support for the AIR is 0800 855 066 (press 2 and then 1).

Over the coming weeks these changes will be reflected in collateral/ websites, however, please ensure any printed materials located on your sites are also updated.

Vaccine Logistics update – 19 July 2023

5 Packs of the 30mcg Primary Pfizer and Paediatric Pfizer vaccine will be phased out from the CIR inventory portal. Only 2 packs of these vaccine types will be available to order moving forward.
If you have any queries on this please reach out to romilly.smith@southerndhb.govt.nz

Webinar recording: Vaccinating Health worker (VHW) – 19 July 2023

Te Whatu Ora recently hosted a webinar to give an overview on the Vaccinating Health Worker (VHW) role and the new Stage 2 vaccine preparation training now available.
The webinar was for any potential or current employers of VHWs, their supervisors, or VHWs themselves.
The webinar covers:
1. Overview of the VHW role
2. Details on the Second Checker and the VHW Stage 2 vaccine preparation training
3. Change to the Practical Assessor criteria
4. IMAC Learning Management System (LMS)
5. Questions and answers
You can find a recording of the webinar here.

Authorisation for vaccinators to work across New Zealand extended – 19 July 2023

During the COVID-19 response, the provision of authorised vaccinators was extended to allow them to vaccinate anywhere in New Zealand until 1 June 2023.

The Director of Public Health has recently extended the provision for all current and newly authorised vaccinators to vaccinate anywhere in New Zealand until 1 June 2024.

This will allow all vaccinators to continue to vaccinate across the motu during the 2023 winter influenza season and ongoing COVID-19 response, and to be readily assigned to wherever there is greatest vaccination need.

The extension applies to all existing vaccinators and all new vaccinators.

Effective immediately, the authorisation for vaccinators to work between regions will expire on 1 June 2024.

Reminder - Where to find details of consumer appointments booked using BMV – 5 July 2023

All vaccination appointments booked through BMV, regardless of the vaccine type, are visible to you on the dashboard when you log in to your BMV admin system.
Click here if you need a helpful guide about how to view your appointments using the BMV dashboard.

The table above shows that appointments for all vaccine types are visible when you log into the BMV admin system. The CIR can be used to view COVID-19 only appointments. We encourage all users to log in to the BMV admin system to view appointments daily on the dashboard.

The Immunisation Handbook 2020 – 5 July 2023

The Immunisation Handbook has been updated to version 23. For current clinical and technical advice, the online version should be referred to. Please note it is not available in print version. Te Whatu Ora web content and materials will be updated in line with these changes, as required.
Key update includes:
Measles

MMR vaccination under 12 months: MMR0 minimum age for pre-exposure prophylaxis (eg. for travel or outbreak) changed from 6 months to 4 months of age; MMR0 for post-exposure prophylaxis is from age 6 months; and MMR administered from 11 months of age (eg. for travel or outbreak) is now considered a valid dose one (MMR1).
Individuals who are susceptible and born prior to 1969 can be considered for MMR vaccination.

Meningococcal

Youth justice facilities have been added as a ‘specified close-living provider’ to the funded criteria for both Meningococcal B and ACWY vaccines
Updated advice on children ageing out of the MenB catch-up programme, there is now some flexibility for children eligible for catch-up who then turn 5 years old before receiving their first MenB dose. These children can still be offered the funded vaccine course; this should be given at the earliest opportunity and before the end of the catch-up period. Note: Eligible children are those who were aged under 5 years old on 1 March 2023
MenB dose spacing can be reduced if clinically recommended: for children aged 8 weeks to under 24 months, spacing between dose one and two can be reduced to 6 weeks, if indicated with a prescription; and for children aged 2 years and over, spacing between doses can be reduced to four weeks, if indicated. No prescription required.

HPV

HPV9 (Gardasil) is now licensed for males and females up to 45 years (previously only females). No change to funded criteria.

Covid-19

Reminder prescription required for a third primary dose.

Pertussis

Boostrix may be recommended 5-yearly for some workplace settings.

Hepatitis B

Clarification of wording in the non-responder protocol.

Reminder - Where to find details of consumer appointments booked using BMV – 5 July 2023

Update to the courier handover process – 3 July 2023

As noted previously, NZ Post Express delivery service takes over the run from Monday 3 July. As part of the change, the couriers will hand over the delivery BUT they will not be involved in any checking or handling of the goods. The courier will wait 5 minutes to take the empty cold chain container away.

Therefore, when the packaging is empty, it needs to show the RETURN ADDRESS and be SEALED CLOSED before handing back to the courier driver.

For HCL Credo boxes:
The INNER LIDS show the return address, so close the box with the INNER LIDS on top and the return address showing.
Seal the box closed with the included carton seal stickers
Hand back to the driver
Full instructions for HCL Credo packaging can be found here

For DHL Cool Green Cell boxes:
A return label and carton seal stickers are included
Close the OUTER LIDS as normal (do not reverse the lids)
Apply the carton seal and return label stickers
Hand back to the driver
Full instructions for CGC can be found here

This information will be included in all future orders.

MMR

Pacific MMR campaign for 18 - 34-year-olds – 15 November 2023

A campaign was recently launched to increase MMR vaccinations amongst Pacific people aged 18-34 in the Auckland Region that may have missed their MMR vaccinations. The campaign was developed by Te Whatu Ora Pacific Health, Pacific Public Health and the National Immunisation Programme, in collaboration with The Cause Collective agency.

This campaign involves social media communications, a suite of promotional collateral and Pacific youth led vaccination events, events focused in the Auckland region where there are high Pacific youth numbers.

Editable social tile templates have been created for providers to customise and use for their own local vaccination events that prioritise Pacific families. There is a document outlining simple steps to follow to access and use the templates. You can find it here: Dropbox Pacific design MMR editable social tile.

If you have any questions or any upcoming vaccination events involving Pacific aged 18-34, please email yvonne.timaloa@health.govt.nz

Pacific MMR campaign for 18 - 34-year-olds – 5 October 2023

A By Pacific for Pacific campaign is currently in development and will focus on Pacific people aged 18-34 who may have missed their MMR vaccinations. Access to the campaign collateral and schedule of Pacific youth-led events held in October/ November will be provided in the coming weeks.

The MMR campaign involves social media communications, a suite of promotional collateral and Pacific youth-led vaccination events focused in the Auckland region where there are high Pacific youth numbers.

Editable social tiles and posters will be available nationwide for providers to use in their own communications or for any vaccination events and activations that include MMR for this age group.

This campaign is being developed by Te Whatu Ora Pacific Public Health, Pacific Health, and the NIP team in collaboration with The Cause Collective agency.

If you have any questions or any upcoming vaccination events involving Pacific aged 18-34, please email yvonne.timaloa@health.govt.nz

Measles update – 19 October 2023

As you may know, last week an individual from Northland was diagnosed with measles after attending a variety of events in Wellington. Media statements were issued by Te Whatu Ora on 5 October and 6 October. As of 13 October, this is the only confirmed case.
Updates about locations of interest / exposure events where people may have been at risk of infection have been published on the Te Whatu Ora website.
Whānau and the wider health sector are encouraged to remain vigilant for signs of measles, check if they are immune and get their MMR vaccinations if needed. To support this, there is a helpful Find out if I need an MMR vaccine decision tool on the Immunise website.
MMR vaccine collateral continues to be available on Bluestar, HealthEd and Dropbox.

MMR clarification for health providers – 5 October 2023

The MMR vaccine is given as part of the National Immunisation Schedule at ages 12 and 15 months. Two doses are recommended and funded for non-immune children and adults. 

Immunity to measles, mumps and rubella is assumed after two documented doses of MMR, unless revaccination is required post-immunosuppression or in occupational high-risk situations where serology has been undertaken.  

Immunity to measles is also assumed in people who lived in New Zealand prior to 1969. Other people who lived in countries with limited circulating measles* prior to 1969 may not be immune to measles if not previously immunised with a measles-containing vaccine. Therefore, they can be considered for funded MMR vaccination, particularly in the case of a community outbreak. Those born prior to 1969 do not need to be recalled for MMR vaccination but may benefit from a clinical discussion about their risk.

MMR vaccine information updated to not preclude people born before 1969 – 24 August 2023

Measles is a serious and highly contagious illness, which can affect adults as well as children. Information on the Immunise website has been updated to note anyone who has not been vaccinated against measles, or who is unsure if they had measles previously (including people born before 1969), are recommended to be immunised with the MMR vaccine. Previously those born before 1969 were precluded.

The MMR vaccine is free for everyone in New Zealand aged 18 and under. It doesn’t matter what their immigration status is. For those over 18, the MMR vaccine is free if they're eligible for healthcare in New Zealand. If people are unsure if they’ve had two doses of MMR vaccine or had measles previously, it’s recommended that they get vaccinated.

Pēpi enrolment in primary care - survey invitation – 28 June 2023

Healthcare workers are invited to participate in a survey on the challenges they face when enrolling and engaging whānau and their pēpi in primary care. The survey – led by researchers from the University of Auckland and University of Otago – aims to identify primary care actions which will support timely immunisation and protection of tamariki Māori from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Partnering with Hāpai te Hauora, researchers will engage with healthcare workers and whānau whose pēpi were not enrolled within seven weeks of birth to better understand their experiences. Participants will be asked to share their knowledge and opinions about the newborn enrolment process, and what they think is working and what is not.

The survey results will help inform decisions, policies, and practices for the health sector and offer new strategies to address equity gaps, say lead researchers Dr Amber Young (University of Otago) and Dr Samantha Marsh (senior research fellow with the Immunisation Advisory Centre).

Pēpi Māori experience low and late immunisation compared with other children, which exposes them to the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. Pēpi Māori who are not enrolled with primary healthcare services are less likely to receive their 6-week immunisations on time and are delayed in their protection from diseases.

Who can participate in the survey: Anyone working in a general practice or a community setting looking after a newborn's health and the health of their whānau, either in a clinical or non-clinical role.

Duration of the survey: The survey should take around 10 minutes to complete. Respondents will have the option to go into the draw to win one of five Prezzie Cards.

More information: Please see the Participant Information Sheet, click here, or if you would like to speak with a member of the research team, please get in touch with Dr Amber Young: amber.young@otago.ac.nz

Click here to complete the survey:
https://auckland.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Jf5sIZvmnyDn3o

IMAC Webinar: Vaccinating Health Worker (VHW) role – 28 June 2023

Date: Wednesday 5 July 2023
Time: 12pm-1pm
To attend: This is a Teams live event, please follow this link to attend

Te Whatu Ora is hosting a webinar to give an overview on the Vaccinating Health Worker (VHW) role and the new Stage 2 vaccine preparation training now available. The webinar is for any potential or current employers of VHWs, their supervisors or VHWs themselves. The webinar will cover:

Overview of the VHW role
Details on the new VHW Stage 2 vaccine preparation training
Change to the Practical Assessor criteria
Q&A

Note: Please ensure you have downloaded Microsoft Teams on the device you will be viewing the webinar on, prior to the event.

IMAC Webinar: Vaccinating in Pharmacy – 28 June 2023

Date: Thursday 6 July 2023
Time: 6pm-7pm
To attend: Please register here https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_k35y0X8fQLSGjkhTFO_UDw

IMAC is hosting a webinar for pharmacists on July 6 from 6pm-7pm. It will focus on the removal of Xpharm restrictions, enabling increased accessibility to vaccines in the pharmacy setting.

The webinar will provide a recap of clinical information and pharmacy scope for the following vaccines: Bexsero (Meningococcal B); MenQuadfi (Meningococcal ACYW); Gardasil (HPV) and Shingrix (Varicella zoster), along with a recap of MMR (measles mumps and rubella) and Boostrix (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis).

The panellists will include IMAC’s Programme Manager Jane Morphet, Clinical Advice Team Lead Victoria Rameke, and E-Learning & E C Coordinator Sally Schnauer.

Please click the link above to register for this webinar. A Zoom recording will be made available on the IMAC website by Monday 10 July.

MMR resources reminder – 21 June 2023

With the addition of funded MMR as an orderable vaccine type through the CIR Inventory Portal for pharmacy providers, we would like to remind you to familiarise yourself with the below documents.

Video link for vaccine preparation: https://vimeo.com/748617839
Measles posters (also available on dropbox): All – Tagged "Vaccinations and immunisations"– HealthEd
Info video on measles – is from 2016 so no up to date numbers but some pictures of measles later in the video: Measles in NZ 2016 on Vimeo

MMR added to CIR Inventory portal – 14 June 2023

MMR vaccine is now orderable for pharmacy providers through the CIR Inventory portal; contact Romilly on (03) 4769915 or Andrew Bary - andrew.bary@southerndhb.govt.nz if you have any questions.

Book My Vaccine now provides MMR and Boostrix appointments – 14 June 2023

Book My Vaccine website now provides MMR and Boostrix appointments
To provide greater access for vaccinations, appointments for MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) and Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough) vaccines are now available to consumers age 13 and over using Book My Vaccine.
Providers who deliver these vaccinations are encouraged to use Book My Vaccine to offer appointments. So far, 204 sites across 20 districts have onboarded MMR/Boostrix on Book My Vaccine.
The additional vaccine types can be added into existing schedules by providers logging into their Book My Vaccine admin system and using the easy how-to guide BMV – How to manage vaccine supplies
A video showing how to add vaccine supplies is also available.
For any other help, providers can email help@imms.min.health.nz or call the team on 0800 223 987 to find out more. drop-in sessions on Teamsare available via Teams from 1pm to 1.45pm each weekday.
If you are a vaccine provider and would like to start using Book My Vaccine, please complete a new site and user set up form, select the vaccines that you would like to offer and return to help@imms.min.health.nz.
A news item has been published on the Te Whatu Ora website and later this month, and as more providers come onboard, we will update the Book My Vaccine homepage and increase promotion to consumers.
If you have any suggestions for resources/collateral that could support you to promote your appointments on Book My Vaccine, please let us know.

Book My Vaccine Provider Alert – 8 June 2023

MMR, Boostrix, and vaccines recommended during pregnancy (boostrix, flu and COVID-19)
Over 85 providers are already onboard to offer appointments on Book My Vaccine (BMV) for MMR, Boostrix, and vaccines recommended during pregnancy (Boostrix, flu and COVID-19). These appointments will be available for consumers to book from 8 June.

If you deliver these vaccines and you are interested in adding appointments to your BMV site, please see the below:

Watch this video showing you how to add vaccine supplies
Read this how-to-guide about how to manage vaccine supplies
Email help@imms.min.health.nz and ask for advice on the best set up options
Join one of the drop-in sessions on Teams and talk to one of the team who can answer questions and assist you.
Visit this website to find out more: Te Whatu Ora - Book My Vaccine website.

Extension of closing dates for appointments
All active sites with a closing date of 30 June 2023 have automatically been extended to 28 February 2024. To change your closing date:

If you are a site admin, you can edit the ‘Closing Date’ field in the ‘Details’ section of the ‘Location’ tab. If you have more than one appointment schedule, you must update the closing date on each location.
You can email us to request support to update your closing date.

Please note: If your site is no longer active or available to accept appointments, please adjust the status to pending or email us to decommission your site.

New location sub-categories
Māori community provider and Pasifika community provider have been added as options to select in the ‘Location Sub-category’ field on the ‘Details’ section. We encourage you to select the appropriate sub-category for your site.

New Location Tags
The following new location tags are available:

Bookings only: Add this tag to specify that consumers must book an appointment.
Hauora event: Add this tag if vaccination services are delivered at a Hauora event.
Church event: Add this tag if vaccination services are delivered at a church event.

Location tags can be added or removed and are available in the ‘Location Tag’ section.

Webinar on offering MMR and Tdap to Book My Vaccine – 24 May 2023

If you offer MMR, Tdap (Boostrix) and vaccinations recommended during pregnancy (flu, Boostrix and COVID-19) you should join our webinar at 6.30pm on Monday 29 May to find out how to offer these on Book My Vaccine - Click here

Addition of MMR, Tdap (Boostrix), and vaccines recommended during pregnancy to Book My Vaccine – 24 May 2023

From 18 May, Book My Vaccine was updated to enable you to add vaccine types at your location(s). This means that you can manage the vaccines that you offer in each appointment schedule.

The following vaccines were made available for you to add to your existing appointment schedules:
•   MMR (13 years and over)
•   Funded Boostrix (13 years and over)
•   Privately funded Boostrix (13 years and over)
•   Pregnancy vaccines (Boostrix + flu + COVID-19)
•   Pregnancy vaccines (Boostrix + flu)
•   Pregnancy vaccines (Boostrix + COVID-19)

Notes:
- Appointments for the above vaccines will not be made available to consumers until mid-June when the relevant changes are made on the Book My Vaccine website.
- Existing users at your site with site admin access can add any of the above vaccines to existing appointment schedules only. If you need to create a new appointment schedule, this must be requested by emailing help@imms.min.health.nz

What is a ‘pregnancy vaccine’?

Pregnant consumers will be given the choice to book 1, 2, or 3 of the vaccines recommended during pregnancy (Boostrix, flu & COVID-19) in one appointment.
If you would like to offer 2 or 3 vaccines in one appointment, you must select and add all relevant ‘pregnancy vaccines’ to your schedule using the ‘Vaccine Supplies’ sub-section of the Book My Vaccine admin system. This addition can be made by users at your site with site administrator access.
Please be aware that when a consumer books either a 2 or 3 vaccine combination, this must be available in one appointment (only one available appointment slot will be allocated). This is the same as offering COVID-19 and flu vaccines in one appointment.
Why does Boostrix have a funded and privately funded option?

These are options available to provide flexibility to you so that you can select the vaccine type that aligns with what your site offers consumers. If you only add the ‘Funded Boostrix (13 years and over)’ as a vaccine supply, your site will only display to consumers who select ‘I expect this vaccine will be free’. If you also add ‘Privately funded Boostrix (13 years and over)’ as a vaccine supply, your site will also display for consumers who select ‘I might have to pay for this vaccine’.

If you decide to offer both funded and privately funded vaccines as a bookable vaccine type on Book My Vaccine, you must have stock of both varieties. Book My Vaccine is a ‘live’ system, which means that a consumer could book at 11am for an appointment at 12 noon. If you do not intend to always have stock on hand, you should not offer ‘live’ appointments and rather consider a listing only for these vaccine types.

For guidance on this, please see the attached BMV FAQ for providers document. For the most up to date information on Book My Vaccine, please refer to Te Whatu Ora - Book My Vaccine website.

New MMR alternate format collateral available – 23 May 2023

New tool on immunise.health.nz – Find out if you need a measles vaccine

Additional alternate formats available on Dropbox. These alternate forms provide general information and advice about measles and the vaccine and include:

Pertussis and MMR coming to Book My Vaccine – 18 May 2023

MMR and Tdap appointments will be available via Book My Vaccine (BMV) from June to support greater vaccination uptake for pregnant people and adults. This will allow people to:

Find a vaccination appointment for a vaccine (flu, COVID-19, MMR, Tdap (dep on age))
access eligibility advice
book an appointment for an individual, on behalf of others, or as part of a group appointment.

You will receive more information in the next few weeks. For all Book My Vaccine updates, please refer to Te Whatu Ora - Book My Vaccine website

New social tiles and flyers in Dropbox and Bluestar – 17 May 2023

Social tiles have been added to the Dropbox for the 18 to 35 catch-up cohort, the Under Fives, and the Mid-teens. The flyer and poster for the Under fives, and 18 – 35 catch-up cohort is also available on Bluestar. You can find translations of the measles Under Fives flyer here: Dropbox – Measles (MMR).

Boostrix

New Pertussis materials available – 24 August 2023

Te Whatu Ora is reminding healthcare providers and professionals to be alert to the symptoms of whooping cough and to encourage immunisation. People are being encouraged to ensure tamariki, their caregivers and pregnant people are immunised against the illness.
There is information on whooping cough on the immunise website here.
A range of free collateral on whooping cough is available for downloading and printing here: Dropbox: Pertussis (Whooping Cough). The collateral includes DLE Flyer, A3 and A4 posters, and social media tiles. New materials include social media tiles for +45s and +65s. Printed copies of the posters and flyers can also be ordered for free via the Bluestar portal under ‘Pregnancy immunisation’.

Boostrix clarification: 45 and 65 year old doses – 24 August 2023

45-year-old dose
Adults are eligible for this if they do not already have a record of 4 tetanus-containing vaccine doses.
This dose can be given at any time from 45 years of age and a minimum of 10 years after their last Td/Tdap vaccination. If they have had four doses of tetanus-containing vaccine already, they are not eligible for a funded dose.

65-year-old dose
This can be given at any time from 65 years of age. If the consumer has had a dose of Td/Tdap in the previous 10 years, then unless otherwise required (eg, pertussis protection) they have their vaccine at a later stage.

No recollection of Tdap vaccines
Adults are recommended to have their tetanus immunisation status assessed at ages 45 and 65 years. If there is any doubt about the adequacy of previous tetanus immunisation (being uncertain or no history of a prior primary course), then you can offer vaccination.
Complete a primary course of 3 doses four weeks apart; this is considered a catch up. This is also the schedule used for those needing revaccination due to stem cell transplant, for example. Following catchup boosters should be offered from 45 years if it has been 10 years since the last dose.

Pēpi enrolment in primary care - survey invitation – 28 June 2023

Duration of the survey: The survey should take around 10 minutes to complete. Respondents will have the option to go into the draw to win one of five Prezzie Cards.

IMAC Webinar: Vaccinating Health Worker (VHW) role – 28 June 2023

Overview of the VHW role
Details on the new VHW Stage 2 vaccine preparation training
Change to the Practical Assessor criteria
Q&A

Note: Please ensure you have downloaded Microsoft Teams on the device you will be viewing the webinar on, prior to the event.

IMAC Webinar: Vaccinating in Pharmacy – 28 June 2023

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) vaccine for people aged 45 and 65 years – 14 June 2023

A direct communications campaign for eligible people aged 65 years and over is in progress, reaching almost 300,000 people via email.
An objective of the communication drive is to clarify that people can still receive the funded boostrix vaccine from the age of 65. Those aged 65 and over will receive an email about vaccine. Those who have been recorded as having a booster in the past 5 years will not receive an email.
People in their 65th year (and up to age 65 years and 49 weeks) will receive an email about both shingles (Shingrix) and the whooping cough (Boostrix) vaccine.
We are pleased to see a good response from consumers so far, with the call to action to ‘Contact your doctor or healthcare provider to book a time to get vaccinated or to check when you’re next due to get a booster, or for more information to visit Immunise website or call Healthline on 0800 611 116.
A reminder:

The whooping cough vaccine (TDaP - Boostrix) also protects against tetanus and diphtheria - if someone has had a tetanus booster recently, they may already be protected against whooping cough.
In 2019 Pharmac changed the eligibility for people who are eligible for a funded dose of Boostrix from age 45 and 65.
If people miss getting their booster at age 45 or 65, they can still catch up for free, although this may not be recommended by their health professional if they have already had a recent dose.

Vaccinators can refer to the Immunisation Handbook section 20.5.3 for guidance and call the IMAC 0800 line for further advice if required.
Public-facing key messages plus additional Q&As are available on Dropbox.

Book My Vaccine now provides MMR and Boostrix appointments – 14 June 2023

Book My Vaccine Provider Alert – 8 June 2023

Watch this video showing you how to add vaccine supplies
Read this how-to-guide about how to manage vaccine supplies
Email help@imms.min.health.nz and ask for advice on the best set up options
Join one of the drop-in sessions on Teams and talk to one of the team who can answer questions and assist you.
Visit this website to find out more: Te Whatu Ora - Book My Vaccine website.

Extension of closing dates for appointments
All active sites with a closing date of 30 June 2023 have automatically been extended to 28 February 2024. To change your closing date:

If you are a site admin, you can edit the ‘Closing Date’ field in the ‘Details’ section of the ‘Location’ tab. If you have more than one appointment schedule, you must update the closing date on each location.
You can email us to request support to update your closing date.

Please note: If your site is no longer active or available to accept appointments, please adjust the status to pending or email us to decommission your site.

New Location Tags
The following new location tags are available:

Bookings only: Add this tag to specify that consumers must book an appointment.
Hauora event: Add this tag if vaccination services are delivered at a Hauora event.
Church event: Add this tag if vaccination services are delivered at a church event.

Location tags can be added or removed and are available in the ‘Location Tag’ section.

Boostrix Consent form and Factsheet – 31 May 2023

There is an updated Boostrix fact sheet and consent form that have been added to the Dropbox

These resources are also available to order via the Bluestar Portal.

Webinar on offering MMR & Tdap (Boostrix) to Book My Vaccine – 24 May 2023

Addition of MMR, Tdap (Boostrix), and vaccines recommended during pregnancy to Book My Vaccine – 24 May 2023

From 18 May, Book My Vaccine was updated to enable you to add vaccine types at your location(s). This means that you can manage the vaccines that you offer in each appointment schedule.

What is a ‘pregnancy vaccine’?

For guidance on this, please see the attached BMV FAQ for providers document. For the most up to date information on Book My Vaccine, please refer to Te Whatu Ora - Book My Vaccine website

HCL standardisation to Google tracking temperature monitoring device – 24 May 2023

Pertussis direct campaign for people aged 65 and over – 23 May 2023

To complement the whooping cough vaccination benefits for pregnant people and pēpi campaigns Te Whatu Ora has developed a direct communications campaign targeted at eligible people over 65 to encourage them to be vaccinated against whooping cough.

The booster is free for people aged over 45 and 65 years and is an important way to protect themselves and their whānau from this serious disease. Almost 300,000 people aged 65 and over will receive an email from the week of 22 May.

The call to action will encourage people to contact their doctor to make an appointment. Or for more information to visit Immunise website or call Healthline on 0800 611 116.

New pregnancy immunisation collateral – 23 May 2023

In response to the tragic deaths of pēpi from whooping cough and the low rates of immunisations, Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora have prioritised increased communications about whooping cough symptoms, and are encouraging tamariki, caregivers and anyone pregnant to be immunised against the illness.

The National Programme have expanded the pregnancy suite in Dropbox to include three new items:

In addition to the factsheet and consent form, existing whooping cough materials are available, which include a poster, flyer and social tile. You can find them here: Dropbox – Pregnancy immunisation.

Vaccine types included on these resources include Boostrix, Influenza, and COVID-19.

These are currently orderable via the Bluestar portal.

Influenza

2024 Influenza webinar and Flu kit – 13 March 2024

An IMAC webinar on influenza will be held Tuesday 26 March, 5.30-6.30pm

The 2024 funded Influenza Immunisation Programme officially starts on 2 April 2024.

Join IMAC and Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora for this informative webinar which will cover the new Influenza Programme, vaccines and other relevant information for vaccinators.

A copy of the 2024 Flu kit can be viewed here. We recommend you take some time to read through it prior to the webinar if you can.

The webinar will be hosted by IMAC Programme Manager Bernadette Heaphy, who will be joined by the Health NZ team.

New Zealand Influenza & COVID-19 Symposium – 28 February 2024

Registrations are still open for IMAC's annual New Zealand Influenza & COVID-19 Symposium, to be held on 14 March 2024 in Auckland.

The Symposium is an excellent opportunity to get the latest information on new vaccines, changes to the Influenza and COVID-19 programme, as well as updates on Long COVID and complex vaccination issues.

It’s also a great opportunity to catch up with your colleagues working in immunisation. We'd love to see you there, either in-person or online.

For those attending in person, we will be at the Naumi Hotel Auckland Airport, just 10 minutes’ drive away from the airport. The Symposium will run from 9am – 4pm.

Registration prices are:
- in-person: $175 incl GST
- online: $55 incl GST

Register here for either in-person and online attendance.

Antenatal vaccines and funding eligibility for flu – 19 October 2023

The official 2023 influenza immunisation season, which is an approved immunisation programme, finished at the end of September. This is also the end of the reporting season and concludes the free vaccinations for health care kaimahi.

However, Pharmac funding is still available. Influenza vaccines for the eligible cohort as per Pharmac eligibility criteria continue to be funded past September and can continue to be claimed for in the same way. Vaccinations should continue to be offered to those who meet the criteria, noting that with travel to and from the northern hemisphere winter we may see influenza cases still coming into the country.

Pregnant people can receive two influenza vaccines during their pregnancy if the pregnancy crosses two influenza seasons.

A reminder that the Influenza Reimbursement Portal for claiming non-district employed health kaimahi flu vaccines has closed as of 13 October 2023. You can find further information here.

Flu form will close in CIR from November 1 – 19 October 2023

In preparation for the Covid Immunisation Register (CIR) cutover to the Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR), from 1 November you will no longer be able to record influenza vaccinations in the CIR. From this date, all influenza vaccinations will need to be recorded in the AIR.

If you have already signed up to the AIR, please make sure you start recording influenza vaccinations here before 1 November. The functionality is active in the AIR, so you can do this now.

You can continue to use the CIR to record COVID-19 vaccinations until we cutover to the AIR later in November 2023. From cutover, all vaccination information will need to be recorded in the AIR.

If you have not signed up to use the AIR vaccinator portal, please do so by following the instructions on page 9 of the Vaccine System Toolkit here.
Please contact AIR.engagement@health.govt.nz if you have any questions about this change.

Updated Flu 2023 resources – 26 July 2023

You can find the recently updated Influenza vaccination consent form and the FLU2023 Essential information for health professionals (flu kit booklet) at influenza.org.nz/resources/resources

New collateral available in Dropbox – 19 July 2023

By Māori for Māori campaign We On! COVID-19 and Flu A3 posters are now available in Dropbox and for ordering on Bluestar.

Increasing flu vaccination rates for Māori and Pacific aged 55+ – 19 July 2023

Starting next week, we’ll be reaching out via SMS and email to Māori and Pacific people aged 55+ who received a flu vaccine in 2022 and haven’t yet had one this year. This is approximately 25,000 people across the motu and will leverage our By Māori for Māori We On! and By Pacific for Pacific Shoo the flu! campaign assets.

New Pharmac listing for funded paediatric influenza vaccine – 5 July 2023

Uptake of the funded influenza vaccine for children aged six to 35 months, Afluria Quad Junior, has been high and the nearly 30,000 doses available for 2023 are almost exhausted. Pharmac has advised that stock is likely to exhaust by 1 July 2023.

To meet ongoing demand, Pharmac will be listing an additional paediatric influenza vaccine brand, FluQuadri, in the Pharmaceutical Schedule from 1 July for the rest of 2023. This will ensure a funded paediatric vaccine remains available for this age group through to the end of the year.

Pharmac has advised that there is sufficient stock of FluQuadri to meet this high demand and that more FluQuadri stock can be made available by Sanofi if needed.
The process for recording and claiming FluQuadri remains the same, through the existing system for funded influenza vaccines. However, providers are advised that the process for ordering FluQuadri from

Healthcare Logistics is through the same order system as used for the private market vaccine.

The online consent form will be in Dropbox by 1 July.
If you have printed versions with Afluria Quad Junior on it, you may continue to use these. Please update the form by crossing out Afluria Quad Junior and adding FluQuadri vaccine funded (for children aged 6 months and 35 months).

FAQs
Is the FluQuadri vaccine safe for children as young as six months? 
Yes. Medsafe has reviewed the FluQuadri vaccine being used for children and approved it as safe for use from the age of six months. It is currently listed as a non-funded flu vaccine for everyone aged six months and over. As of 1 July, FluQuadri it will be a fully funded vaccine for children aged six months to 35 months.

Are there any side effects for children?
The FluQuadri vaccine may cause the same common side effects of other flu vaccines for babies and toddlers, which includes:

crying, being upset, and hard to settle
loss of appetite
a slight fever
pain or swelling where the needle went in.

Serious effects are rare. If you have any questions or concerns, talk to your doctor pr nurse, or call Healthline for free on 0800 611 116.

What are the differences between the FluQuadri vaccine and the Afluria Quad Junior vaccine?
The only main difference between the two vaccines is packaging. The FluQuadri comes in a five-dose pack and the Afluria Quad Junior vaccine comes in a single dose pack.

In summary:

FluQuadri™: pre-filled needle free syringe, 0.5 mls (in packs of five syringes)
Afluria® Quad Junior: pre-filled needle free syringe, 0.25 mls (in a pack of one syringe).

Can we still offer the funded Afluria Quad Junior vaccine?
Yes, while it is in circulation. From 1 July FluQuadri will be the funded vaccine for children aged six months to 35 months, as the Afluria Quad Junior vaccine will no longer be available.

Can we still order and claim the same way for the FluQuadri vaccine?
Yes. FluQuadri can be recorded and claimed through the same system as other funded flu vaccines for the 2023 flu season. Providers are advised that the process for ordering FluQuadri from Healthcare Logistics should be through the same ordering system as used for the private market vaccine.

Increasing awareness of funded flu vaccines for tamariki 6 months to 12 years – 5 July 2023

In response to reports of more pēpi and tamariki being admitted to hospital in recent weeks, Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora are urging parents, caregivers and whānau to not be complacent about the flu. Pharmac expanded the eligibility for free flu vaccines this year, to include pēpi and tamariki aged 6 months to 12 years.

Influenza B, which tends to impact tamariki the most, is circulating in New Zealand for the first time since 2019. As you know, the funded flu vaccine protects against four strains of flu, including Influenza B.

To complement the existing flu vaccine campaigns in market, we will begin digital and social media advertising aimed at parents and caregivers of children aged 6 months to 12 years, who are eligible for a free flu vaccine. We have some social tiles available for use here in our Dropbox.

We hope this could increase the demand for flu vaccinations in the coming weeks and can confirm that there is enough stock to support a surge – please see the below update on Afluria Quad Junior. We appreciate your efforts and support to help protect pēpi and tamariki from becoming seriously unwell this winter.

Pēpi enrolment in primary care - survey invitation – 28 June 2023

Duration of the survey: The survey should take around 10 minutes to complete. Respondents will have the option to go into the draw to win one of five Prezzie Cards.

IMAC Webinar: Vaccinating Health Worker (VHW) role – 28 June 2023

Overview of the VHW role
Details on the new VHW Stage 2 vaccine preparation training
Change to the Practical Assessor criteria
Q&A

Note: Please ensure you have downloaded Microsoft Teams on the device you will be viewing the webinar on, prior to the event.

IMAC Webinar: Vaccinating in Pharmacy – 28 June 2023

Pharmacy Updates

Update on timelines for whanau to access childhood immunisations in pharmacy – 28 February 2024

Last month, Te Whatu Ora and Pharmac released a joint consultation regarding the removal of pharmacy ordering restrictions for some childhood immunisations. The consultation closed on 29 January 2024.

A lot of responses were received, and more time is needed to carefully consider this feedback. The earliest date that this change will be enabled, if the proposal is successful, is now 1 April 2024.

A training package is currently being developed so that pharmacist vaccinators can upskill to become fully authorised vaccinators. They are working towards making this available in late March, if the decision from Pharmac is to proceed. This training package will lead to authorisation for whole-of-life immunisations and will allow pharmacists to immunise pēpi from 6 weeks of age.

Pharmac has also decided to consult on a proposal to amend the listing for paracetamol oral liquid to enable Direct Provision by pharmacists. This change will be considered alongside the proposal to remove the pharmacy ordering restriction from certain childhood vaccines, including meningococcal B vaccine. The consultation closed at 9.00am on Monday 19 February 2024.

More information about both consultations can be found on the Pharmac website

Increasing options for whanau to access childhood immunisations – 24 January 2024

Two significant changes are proposed to be implemented in early 2024, to increase options for whānau to access free childhood immunisations in their communities:

Remove ordering restrictions on childhood vaccinations for providers

The National Immunisation Programme are working with Pharmac to remove the pharmacy ordering restrictions on funded childhood vaccinations so that all providers can order and claim for these vaccines. It’s anticipated that ordering restrictions will be removed from 1 March 2024.

Increase the vaccinator workforce that can administer childhood immunisations

Pharmacist Vaccinators and other health professionals will be able to upskill to Authorised Vaccinators so they can administer childhood vaccinations. Training is expected to be available in February 2024 and will include a mix of online components and clinical assessments covering communication, vaccine administration and practical considerations for administering to this age range.

Additional information will be provided in the coming weeks.

Quarterly shingles vaccine email to 65-year-olds – 24 January 2024

From Monday, 5 February, there will be a nationwide email communication to 65-year-olds across the motu about being immunised against shingles. The target audience includes eligible people contactable via email who have recently turned 65 (to raise awareness) or are soon to turn 66 (as a reminder).

Shingles vaccination is free only when the consumer is age 65. As long as the consumer receives their first dose when they are 65, their second dose will still be free, even if they get it after they turn 66.

This communication is a regular quarterly email that will reach people as they ‘age-in’ and encourage them to book and receive their two free doses of the vaccine.

Quarterly shingles vaccine email to 65-year-olds – 15 November 2023

From Wednesday, 15 November there will be a nationwide email communication to approximately 11,000 65-year-olds about being immunised against shingles. The target audience includes eligible people contactable via email who have recently turned 65 (to raise awareness) or are soon to turn 66 (as a reminder).

This communication is a regular quarterly email that will reach people as they ‘age-in’ and encourage them to book and receive their two free doses of the vaccine, Shingrix.

Pharmacies should consider having stock of the Shingrix vaccine to accommodate for this uptake.

MenACWY vaccine offered in Pharmacy – 4 October 2023

Effective immediately, there will no longer be a requirement for pharmacies to provide evidence of identified demand when they approach their District to request access to adding the MenACWY (MenQuadfi) vaccine to the portfolio of vaccines offered in their pharmacy.

This change aligns access to MenQuadfi with the other funded vaccines currently available for community pharmacies to order via the CIR Inventory Portal. Pharmacies should continue to only order sufficient stock to meet demand to support vaccinations for the close living eligible cohort as per Pharmac eligibility criteria.

We are continuing to support pharmacies to widen the number of vaccines they can offer their community to ensure consumers are able to access vaccines they are eligible for. By increasing community access to meningococcal vaccines, we envisage pharmacies being able to provide these vaccines to young people who are moving into close living facilities (boarding schools or halls of residence).

If you have any questions, comments or would like support to onboard for any of the available vaccines please reach out to us at immunisation@health.govt.nz.

Travel vaccinations can now be recorded in the AIR vaccinator portal – 13 September 2023

Travel vaccinations can now be recorded using the AIR vaccinator portal. Previously the NIR did not enable the recording of travel vaccinations, however the following travel vaccines are now able to be recorded via the portal for all ages:

• Cholera (Dukoral)
• HepB-HepA (Twinrix, Twinrix Junior)
• Japanese encephalitis (JEV) (JEspect)
• Rabies (Rabipur, Merieux)
• Typhoid (Typhim Vi, Vivotif)
• Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) (TicoVac)
• Yellow fever (YFV) (Stamaril)

Initially GP notifications will not be sent whenever an enrolled patient receives a travel vaccination recorded in the AIR vaccinator portal. Further work will be progressed to support GP notifications and for the AIR to receive travel vaccination records via integrated systems. Te Whatu Ora will provide an update on the timing of this work in the coming months.

Shingles vaccine preparation video – 13 September 2023

IMAC have a new Shingrix video resource on their website.

The video gives a detailed guide on how to prepare the Shingrix vaccine, presented by IMAC pharmacy vaccinator Sally Schnauer. You can view the video here.

Click here to view other IMAC videos on vaccine prep, technique, and common questions.

Shingles vaccine first dose – 13 September 2023

There have been a couple of reports of people developing shingles, or herpes zoster, following a first dose of Shingrix.

Shingrix is not a live vaccine so cannot cause shingles. A real-world effectiveness study found that there were around 10 shingles cases for every 1,000 unvaccinated people. This dropped to fewer than five cases per 1,000 among those who received one dose of Shingrix, and dropped to three cases per 1,000 after two doses.

This means some people will develop shingles prior to having their second dose, although their risk is lower than if they had not received the first dose. The data does not suggest an increased risk after dose 1, which is what people may think if they get shingles shortly after the vaccination.

There is evidence that the incidence of herpes zoster is increasing in New Zealand and also that COVID-19 infection increases the risk.

The recommended timing of any dose following an episode of herpes zoster is generally 12 months, as the risk of recurrent shingles is low for about a year after an episode. Those with ophthalmic shingles should wait until 12 months of disease quiescence (has completely settled). Those with immunocompromise could have their second dose sooner than 12 months as they have an increased risk of recurrence.

If you have any questions, please contact 0800 IMMUNE (0800 466 863) or email 0800immune@auckland.ac.nz.

Shingles vaccine information updated on the immunise website – 24 August 2023

The immunise website now has updated information on the Shingles vaccine. The shingles vaccine is recommended for anyone aged 50 and over. Its free for the 12 months after a person’s 65th birthday and is now available as a funded vaccine from participating pharmacies.

Vaccinating in Pharmacy update – 24 August 2023

Pharmacist vaccinators are now funded to administer four new vaccines.

Bexsero (meningococcal B), MenQuadfi (meningococcal ACYW), Gardasil (human papillomavirus HPV) and Shingrix (shingles) are now available and funded in pharmacies from the beginning of August – creating greater opportunity for people to access funded vaccines, and for pharmacies to be able to provide broader support for their communities.

Resources:
•   You can watch our popular Vaccinating in Pharmacy webinar, which provides a recap of clinical information and pharmacy scope for the four new vaccines here
•   A summary of vaccinations that can be administered by a pharmacist vaccinator can be found here. You can also refer to the Pharmaceutical Schedule.
•   Pharmacists unsure about eligibility after looking at the Pharmaceutical Schedule can call 0800IMMUNE for support.
•   You can download the Planning Guide: funded vaccines in community pharmacy here

Editable event posters on Dropbox – 17 August 2023

Editable childhood and pregnancy immunisation posters are now available on Dropbox to support local event promotion.

There are two variations of each poster, one has an editable table with fields to add venue, hours, accessibility, and contact details. The other has an editable box where you can add any additional details. These posters are available in A3 and can be scaled down to A4 for printing. There is a supporting document available in the Dropbox link above for how to edit these posters.

Reminder to complete renewal of vaccinator status before it expires – 17 August 2023

A reminder for all pharmacist vaccinators and intern pharmacist vaccinators to ensure that prior to the expiry of your pharmacist vaccinator status (two-yearly, on the anniversary of their vaccinator foundation course), notify the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand that you have completed the Ministry of Health requirements specified below:

During the past two years or within a month of expiry of status, have completed a vaccinator update course that meets the current Vaccinator Update Course Standards
Have a summary of your immunisation practice over the past 12 months. The summary should include type of immunisation practice as a vaccinator (eg, general practice, occupational health, pharmacy etc); types of vaccinations given (eg, intramuscular, subcutaneous, intradermal); and other responsibilities related to immunisation (eg, cold chain-designated person, etc)
Have evidence of a current practising certificate
Have evidence of a current CPR certificate (see Immunisation Handbook for details).

Shingles vaccine email campaign – 9 August 2023

The week commencing 14 August, a nationwide email communication will be sent to approximately 9,000 65- year-olds about being immunised against shingles. The target audience includes eligible people contactable via email who have recently turned 65 (awareness) or are soon to turn 66 (reminder).

This communication is the start of a regular quarterly email that will reach people as they ‘age-in’ and motivate them to book and receive their two free doses of the vaccine, Shingrix. Prior email campaigns have seen a 9% uptake rate, therefore anticipated volumes from this campaign may see 800 people vaccinated.

Reminder: Pharmacy only funded vaccines – 2 August 2023

From 1 August, vaccinating pharmacies with Variation 4 on their ICPSA contract are able to order newly available funded vaccines through the CIR inventory portal.
These newly available vaccines, Bexsero, Gardasil, and Shingrix, complement the already available funded MMR and Boostrix vaccines.

There are limits of each vaccine that pharmacies can order, as per screenshot above, with a reminder that Shingrix and Bexsero come in single dose packs so please ensure to order accordingly.

MenQuadfi is also a newly funded vaccine available to order on CIR but this has limited stock supply and is not available to order unless it has been arranged that you are working with your local immunisation coordinators, outreach teams or halls of residences for example to vaccinate an eligible cohort in a planned and coordinated manner.

Please only order sufficient stock for identified demand. And also keep non-funded and funded vaccines separate in the fridge.

Please also note that consumables in the CIR inventory portal are for Covid vaccines only, you will need to order consumables for these vaccines elsewhere.

For more information on where to record these vaccines and the eligibility criteria please click here

MenB and MenACWY close living cohort – 2 August 2023

As enrolments for the 2024 academic year will soon be underway, it is important that MenB and MenACWY vaccines are included on pre-enrollment information, websites and checklists.
Te Whatu Ora will be reaching out to universities in the coming weeks, reminding them of the new eligibility criteria for the MenB vaccine and the resources available.
To complement this activity, we encourage all those involved in vaccinations to reach out to close living facilities* to promote MenB and MenACWY vaccines and offer resources, support to communicate with whānau and offering vaccination clinics as appropriate. This is also an ideal time to check-in about other vaccines such as MMR and HPV.

There is a variety of collateral available to support this engagement, including social media tiles, flyers, posters and pamphlets that can be downloaded from Dropbox or ordered via HealthEd or Bluestar. Details for how to access HealthEd and Bluestar are linked in the section below. Please contact the team at immunisation@health.govt.nz if you need support or information.

*Eligible close living facilities include boarding school hostels, tertiary education halls of residence, military barracks, Youth Justice residences or prisons housing those aged 13-25 years inclusive.

HPV social media tile on Dropbox – 2 August 2023

On Thursday, 27 July we recognised World Head and Neck Cancer Day by sharing information on our social media channels about the HPV vaccine, as HPV is one of the causes of head and neck cancers.
We’ve added this social media tile and suggested text for your own social media channels to Dropbox, to help you promote the HPV vaccine any time of the year.
These resources can be found on Dropbox in the new HPV folder.

Additional funded vaccines available for pharmacies – 2 August 2023

As a reminder, from 1 August, pharmacies will be able to order the following funded vaccines:

Bexsero (Meningococcal B vaccine)
MenQuadfi (Meningococcal ACYW vaccine) * Please note that access will be restricted and will be actively managed via District Pharmacy Portfolio Managers (or in their absence, the local Immunisation Lead).
Gardasil (Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine)
Shingrix [Varicella zoster (Shingles vaccine)]

By making these funded vaccines available for pharmacies, it will provide our communities with a wider range of vaccination options and help contribute to more equitable vaccination uptake for whānau. So far, we've had a good amount of interest from the pharmacy sector in providing these vaccines and look forward to the rollout commencing soon.

If you're a vaccinating pharmacy, please ensure your details are up to date on Healthpoint.

Reminders

Book My Vaccine Update – 28th February 2024

Book My Vaccine has recently been updated to allow providers to add Shingrix, HPV, MenB & Men ACYW and scheduled childhood immmunisations to their booking schedules as well as enabling Influenza bookings for the 2024 Influenza season.

Bookings for the 5 new vaccines will be available for consumers to book from the 13th of March but can be added from now to allow for advanced bookings.

From the 13th of March consumers will be able to book in advance for Influenza but no earlier than the "go live" date of April the 2nd. Please take this time to make sure you are happy with your current availability on Book My Vaccine as we anticipate an increase in bookings during this first week of April.

If you have any questions or need help adding these new vaccines to your sites BMV then please reach out to lachlan.winter@southerndhb.govt.nz

Universal vaccination consent form – 28 February 2024

The National Immunisation Programme have recently released a universal "Vaccination Informed Consent Form".

You can access it via the Dropbox by clicking here

AIR Cutover date confirmed – 15 November 2023

We can confirm that the cutover date to AIR will be the 25th November 2023. There is also have a contingency date; this will only be shared as needed. Having a contingency date is standard practice and is only used if there is a serious incident with the technology that cannot be resolved in time. If this does happen, we will ensure you have enough notice as possible.

While there is excitement about this change and what it means for the tools that enable the delivery of immunisation services, we acknowledge change can be unsettling. Our commitment is that together, we will step through this change and work together to ensure the cutover to the AIR is as straight forward as possible.

For more information on cutover, what it means and what you need to do before cutover, head to the AIR Readiness Page, your source of truth for everything cutover.

Please contact AIR.engagement@health.govt.nz if you have any questions.

Vaccine administration webinar recording available – 19 October 2023

IMAC Programme Manager Jane Morphet and IMAC Medical Advisor Joan Ingram discuss practical issues relating to vaccine administration in this webinar.

It covers a range of issues, including review of best practice research, use of paracetamol, needle length selection, a reminder on Bexsero spacing, MMR eligibility, and a review of resources, as well as immunisation updates and learnings.

You can view a recording of the webinar here.

Maternal immunisations webinar recording – 4 October 2023

View the recording of IMAC’s latest webinar on maternal immunisations, which covers latest research, improving coverage and supporting positive conversations.

The webinar also covers the incidence of disease, as well as reviewing current guidance and updating you on range of resources that are available to promote and support maternal vaccination uptake.

View the webinar recording here

Upcoming webinar - Vaccine administration – 4 October 2023

Thursday 12 October, 6pm (1 hour)

Join IMAC Programme Manager Jane Morphet and IMAC Medical Advisor Joan Ingram to discuss practical issues relating to vaccine administration.

This webinar will look at a range of issues, including a review of best practice, latest research, use of paracetamol, needle length selection, a reminder on Bexsero spacing, MMR eligibility, and a review of resources, as well as immunisation updates and learnings.

Please register for the vaccine administration webinar here

AIR Webinar for General Practice – 4 October 2023

Kia Ora practice managers and nurse leads

WellSouth invites you to learn more about the Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR), which is going live in November. Loren Shand Programme Lead for the National Immunisation Programme and the AIR Engagement team will present to help you know what to expect. There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions to the Wellsouth and AIR teams.

AIR Webinar for Southern General Practices – Preparing for Cut Over November 2023
Tuesday, 10 October 2023
11:00 am - 12:00 pm NZST
Please click on the link to register AIR – Webinar Register

Upcoming webinar - Maternal Immunisations – 27 September 2023

Maternal Immunisations – Thursday 28 September, 6pm-6.45pm
Join IMAC Medical Advisor and GP, Dr Mamaeroa David, along with other IMAC staff, to discuss maternal immunisations.

We will look the incidence of disease and recent research, as well as reviewing current guidance and updating you on range of resources that are available to promote and support maternal vaccination uptake.

Please register for the Maternal Immunisations webinar here.

Cold chain refresher webinar- recording available – 27 September 2023

If you missed our Cold Chain refresher webinar earlier this month, or wish to rewatch it, the recording is now available on our website here.

This webinar provides a refresher on the basics that are required by any provider who stores vaccines, including the importance of the support roles that administration staff provide in this area. The safe storage of vaccines within the required range is key to supporting a safe and effective immunisation programme.

Tamariki immunisation schedule- available in Dropbox – 13 September 2023

The latest addition to make its way into our Dropbox suite of collateral includes a print file for a pull-up banner about the tamariki immunisation schedule.

This banner is perfect for your pop-up immunisation events while having a kōrero with whānau who have little ones. The file is available in our Dropbox here for you to download and print. Please note it is not available through Bluestar.

We have a range of collateral on childhood immunisation available in Dropbox for downloading and printing, and in Bluestar where you can order for free. If you don’t have a Bluestar login, look at the bottom of this pānui for how you can get access to Dropbox and Bluestar.

Missed the AIR webinar series? Videos are now available to view – 13 September 2023

The AIR programme has been running a series of webinars since July examining some of the detail on the key shifts the sector will experience when the Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) replaces the National Immunisation Register (NIR) and Covid-19 Immunisation Register (CIR) in November 2023.

You can join the final webinar on Tuesday 19 September by registering here

The videos from the earlier webinar sessions are available to view here

Webinar: Keeping it cool - a cold chain refresher – 13 September 2023

Date: Thursday 14 September 2023
Time: 5.30pm-6.00pm
To attend: Please register for the cold chain refresher webinar here

The safe storage of vaccines within the required range is key to supporting a safe and effective immunisation programme.

This webinar aims to provide a refresher on the basics that are required by any provider who stores vaccines, including the importance of the support roles that administration staff provide in this area. There will be time for Q&A.

The webinar will be hosted by IMAC’s Programme Manager Bernadette Heaphy and Immunisation Education Facilitator Abbey Palmer.

Updates to Mpox process moving forward – 6 September 2023

You can find the flow for the updated Mpox process by clicking here.

Alternatively you can find updated Mpox resources which has the latest prescriber guidance and prescriber toolkit documentation in the Dropbox by clicking here .

Mpox consultations to cease on 31 August – 24 August 2023

A reminder that more than a year after the first case of Mpox in New Zealand, the outbreak response is shifting to longer-term access for those at risk via the public health services, with the mpox consultation programme disestablished. After 31 August 2023, access to the mpox preventative measures will continue to be available as appropriate, under Section 29 of the Medicines Act, through prescribing medical practitioners. The dedicated mpox consultation including the mpox Healthline will not be available after this date. The National Immunisation Programme will maintain guidance and toolkits to assist the medical practitioner decision-making to offer treatment under Section 29 regulations. The resources will be available on HealthPathways.

Bexsero reminder – 24 August 2023

We are seeing an increasing number of queries regarding the timing of the Bexsero booster doses. It is important for best protection to ensure that the recommended minimum intervals are maintained. To help ensure this, it is essential to check a child’s immunisation record (both on your PMS, and in conjunction with an NIR Status Query and viewing of Well Child Book if it is available) prior to vaccine administration to ensure the correct interval between doses.
For more information on the Bexsero vaccine please click here

CIR inventory portal reminder – 17 August 2023

Please remember that the amount of consumables, such as syringes, needles, and swabs, need to be updated in the CIR Inventory Portal in the same way as vaccine.

Please take the opportunity now to do a stocktake and update any consumables in the CIR inventory portal.
If you need any help, email or call Romilly on romilly.smith@southerndhb.govt.nz or (03) 4769915.

Immunise on Zero Data – 17 August 2023

Did you know? The Immunise website is available on Zero Data, a New Zealand Government portal that provides free access to a range of government websites without using mobile data or Wi-Fi.

Zero Data is available to anyone using a mobile device connected to the Spark, Skinny, One NZ, 2degrees, Warehouse Mobile, Slingshot or Orcon mobile networks. Data needs to be turned on in order to access the websites but will not be used.

To access Immunise, simply visit zero.govt.nz and select it from the Health category.

AIR cutover update – 17 August 2023

The Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) Programme is planning for the ‘cutover’ of the National Immunisation Register (NIR) and the COVID-19 Immunisation Register (CIR) into the AIR in November 2023. As we progress the actual date will be confirmed and shared.
This is a revised date following consultation feedback. The HPV Primary Screening Programme, who AIR shares stakeholders with, is being launched in September. Introducing both of these large changes in the same month would have posed delivery risks and added complexity for the sector. We believe this revised window will ensure that together we are ready to cutover.
‘Cutover’ refers to the AIR milestone of migrating the data from NIR and CIR and shifting all users over to use the AIR. The outcome of cutover is that:

•   COVID-19 will be recorded either via the AIR Vaccinator portal or in Practice/Patient Management Systems (PMS). Payment for COVID-19 vaccines administered will continue to be claimed via a record being entered into the AIR. Note there is currently no change to the way payments for other funded vaccines are claimed.
•   All systems, including PMS’, that currently connect to NIR will be reconnected to AIR (we are working with software vendors to enable this).
•   All vaccinations for all age groups will be able to be recorded in the AIR.
•   New reporting tools will be enabled for both analytical and operational reports.

Leading into cutover we will have training plans in place for system users, with communications being sent via existing channels. It is recommended that you are subscribed to the National Immunisation Programme’s regular newsletter for ongoing updates. Please contact immunisation@health.govt.nz to subscribe.

Following cutover, the AIR Programme will continue working with providers, vendors and stakeholders to deliver additional functionality.

Please refer to the AIR website for more information and ongoing updates and if required our team can be reached at air.engagement@health.govt.nz.

Feedback on IMACs 0800 service – 9 August 2023

The team at the Immunisation Advisory Centre are seeking feedback about our 0800 service, which answers questions about immunisation and vaccine-preventable diseases.

If you phoned (0800 IMMUNE) or contacted them on the 0800immune email in the past 12 months, please follow the link to their brief survey and let them know what you think.

Their aim is to use your feedback to improve their service.

This survey link will be active for 1 week.

Reminder to check your fridges for expired vaccine stock – 2 August 2023

It is important that all providers remain diligent in checking expiry dates for vaccines and remove expired stock from circulation to prevent errors occurring.

The Menactra vaccine should now have been fully replaced by MenQuadfi as Menactra stock will now be expired.

Please ensure your stock is checked for any remaining expired vials and that these are returned to Propharma following usual processes.

Important note: the MenQuadfi ACWY vaccine is not for use for consumers aged under 12 months and these pēpi should be receiving either meningococcal C vaccine (Neisvac-C), funded for certain high-risk infants, or the unfunded meningococcal ACWY vaccine (Nimenrix). Please refer to the Immunisation Handbook section 13.4.4.

Changes to 0800 support numbers – 2 August 2023

As a reminder, there are two important changes impacting the Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR), COVID-19 Immunisation Register (CIR) and Book my Vaccine (BMV) 0800 support numbers coming into effect 1 August 2023:

The 0800 855 066 number for AIR support and the 0800 223 987 for CIR and BMV, will no longer be attended on Sundays.
out of hours support requests can still be logged, but through an updated sequencing system by pressing 2 followed by 1. From there the call will be diverted for providers to report incidents and critical service outages.

These changes will be reflected online and in other support materials.

Aotearoa Immunisation Register cutover series has begun – 2 August 2023

The Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) ran its first ‘Cutover Series’ webinar with health providers on July 12, with 200 attendees logging in to learn about consumer onboarding.

Register here for the remaining 4 webinars designed to help the sector understand how AIR works and what they need to do to prepare. Following each webinar there will be resources published on the website including short videos.

Pharmacy only update – 26 July 2023

As you will be aware from 1 August vaccinating pharmacies that hold an Immunisation Schedule within their ICPSA contract that incorporates Variation 4 will be able to order new funded vaccines through the CIR inventory portal.

Bexsero, Gardasil, and Shingrix will be added automatically to your inventory products in CIR on Tuesday 1 August; you can order these funded vaccines from that day.

However, MenQuadfi has limited stock nationwide so will not be added to CIR unless you have indicated that you are planning a specific event to vaccinate those eligible with this vaccine.

Please contact Romilly on (03)4769915 or romilly.smith@southerndhb.govt.nz to discuss or if you have any questions.

Webinar series - Aotearoa Immunisation Register – 26 July 2023

The Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) is inching closer every day to the point it supersedes the NIR and CIR. Te Whatu Ora is excited to share more about the AIR and what is new or different from previous immunisation registers.

Alongside updates through Te Whatu Ora’s regular channels, they are running an AIR Cutover series in the form of webinars, to delve deeper into these key shifts. Please register here for the webinars.

Newborn enrolment in primary care survey invitation – 26 July 2023

Healthcare workers including GPs, nurses and midwives are invited to participate in a survey on the challenges they face when enrolling and engaging whānau and their pēpi in primary care.
The survey, led by researchers from the University of Auckland and the University of Otago, aims to identify primary care actions which will support timely immunisation and protection of tamariki Māori from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Participants will be asked to share their knowledge and opinions about the newborn enrolment process and what they think is working and what is not.
The survey results will help inform decisions, policies, and practices for the health sector and offer new strategies to address equity gaps.
The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete and participants will have the option to go into the draw to win one of five Prezzie cards. It is open to anyone working in a general practice or a community setting (either clinical or non-clinical) looking after a newborn's health and the health of their whānau.
For more information email Dr Amber Young - amber.young@otago.ac.nz
Click here to complete the survey

Expansion of funded vaccines available at community pharmacy from 1 August – 19 July 2023

Giving whānau more choice: Increasing accessibility to funded vaccines available in community pharmacy.

From 1 August 2023, vaccinating pharmacies will be able to order additional National Immunisation Schedule vaccines resulting in wider availability of vaccination sites in the community. Community pharmacy can already offer funded influenza, MMR, Tdap and COVID-19 vaccines. This exciting change sees the following vaccines added:

Bexsero (Meningococcal B vaccine)
MenQuadfi (Meningococcal ACYW vaccine) *limited access due to low volume
Gardasil (Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine)
Shingrix (Varicella zoster [Shingles vaccine])

You can find a copy of the full Operational Planning Guide by clicking here

To support the sector in this expansion of immunisation services in community pharmacy, an Operational Planning Guide has been developed by the National Immunisation Programme to assist in the planning for the introduction of these vaccines. The following forums are also planned:

The Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC) held a clinical refresher webinar on 6 July 2023. The webinar has been recorded and is available here.
If you have any questions or comments at any stage, please reach out to the Programme at immunisation@health.govt.nz

Webinar - Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) – 5 July 2023

Date: Wednesday 12 July 2023
Time: 11am – 12pm
To attend: Click here to register to attend
The AIR team will be running a ‘cutover series as it moves closer to when the National Immunisation Register (NIR) and the COVID-19 Immunisation Register (CIR) data is migrated into the AIR.
AIR update
As of 22 June, four new vaccines are available to be recorded in the Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) for the following age groups. They are:

Havrix for hepatitis A (16 years plus)
Engerix-B for hepatitis B (13 years plus)
IPOL for poliomyelitis (13 years plus)
BCG AJV for tuberculosis (available for all ages)

The visual below displays the estimated timelines for the addition of vaccines into the AIR vaccinator portal -noting that the AIR can only accept vaccination records for people aged 13+ (unless otherwise stated). This age limitation is a temporary measure while the AIR is in a transition phase. Childhood vaccinations will be able to be recorded in the AIR later in 2023 when the entire sector transitions from using the National Immunisation Register (NIR).

Summary of Dropbox and Bluestar Collateral – 28 June 2023

See attached document for a summary of resources available on Dropbox and Bluestar as of the 19 June 2023. This includes all orderable and/or downable items to cover Covid-19, pregnancy vaccines, influenza, measles, and general childhood immunisations.

If you do not currently have access to the Bluestar portal to order these items yourself, please email moh.support@bluestargroup.co.nz (and copy in sandy.thambiah@health.govt.nz). In the email, include the name of your clinic or practice and your contact details.

To download, see NIP Drop box:

New collateral in dropbox – 21 June 2023

Drop box: Flyers, social media tiles and posters

Consumer and vaccinator collateral summary – 8 June 2023

Drop box: Flyers, social media tiles and posters including the newly launched leaflet for consumers explaining the MenB vaccine

Consumer website: includes a link to create a personalised vaccine schedule for under 5’s

Bluestar: Orderable posters and flyers.
Would you like to sign up to Bluestar? email moh.support@bluestargroup.co.nz and request 'Vaccine resources access' with the following details of the provider: Organisation Name, name of requester, email, phone, physical/delivery address. Once set up as a user you will receive an email from Bluestar with log on details. Access can take a few working days. 

HealthEd: Vaccinator and consumer resources

IMAC: Vaccinator resources including a link to the recorded MenB webinar

KINGS Birthday – No deliveries on Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th June – 18 May 2023

If your delivery day is either a Monday or a Tuesday, you will be affected by Kings Birthday.

Please make sure you order two weeks stock to be delivered in the week of 29th May 2023.

Please call or email Romilly on 03 4769915 or romilly.smith@southerndhb.govt.nz if you have any questions or need any help.

Pertussis and MMR coming to Book My Vaccine – 18 May 2023

MMR and Tdap appointments will be available via Book My Vaccine (BMV) from June to support greater vaccination uptake for pregnant people and adults. This will allow people to:

Find a vaccination appointment for a vaccine (flu, COVID-19, MMR, Tdap (dep on age))
access eligibility advice
book an appointment for an individual, on behalf of others, or as part of a group appointment.

You will receive more information in the next few weeks. For all Book My Vaccine updates, please refer to Te Whatu Ora - Book My Vaccine website

Onboarding to the Aotearoa Immunisation Register – 17 May 2023

Priority onboarding to the Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) is recommended for Māori and Pacific health providers that currently do not have a patient management system (PMS) and also especially helpful for providers administering vaccinations for community outreach.

A number of Pacific health providers have been very positive about the ease and speed of access to information using the AIR for community vaccination events.

For more information, click here.

Bluestar collateral and NIP Dropbox reminder – 17 May 2023

You are able to order printed vaccine collateral via the Bluestar portal for free.

Orders can be made by any health provider set up with a log in. If you would like to register for the Bluestar portal, please email moh.support@bluestargroup.co.nz (please copy in sandy.thambiah@health.govt.nz). Remember to include the name of your clinic or practice and your contact details.

You are also able to download and print this collateral. Please feel free to share this link widely with your other healthcare colleagues: National Immunisation Programme Dropbox.

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