Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / The NT's Executive Director of Medicine Management Dr. Bhavini Patel says free vaccines in the NT will continue to be targeted at "at risk" people

Transcript

The NT's Executive Director of Medicine Management Dr. Bhavini Patel says free vaccines in the NT will continue to be targeted at "at risk" people · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: We also know that yesterday the Northern Territory government announced
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  Speaker 1: that the Darwin Vaccination Center in Marara is going to
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  Speaker 1: add to its operations from today to help protect some
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  Speaker 1: of the territories most vulnerable against influenza. It is part
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  Speaker 1: of a three week blitz ahead of the clinic's closure.
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  Speaker 1: So we know that there has been an increase in
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  Speaker 1: those flu numbers in recent weeks. And joining me on
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  Speaker 1: the line to talk more about this is Bevini Patel,
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  Speaker 1: the Executive Director of Medicine Management. Good morning to you, Bevini.
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  Speaker 2: Hello Katie, how are you very well?
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  Speaker 1: Great to speak to you this morning. Firstly, who's eligible
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  Speaker 1: to attend the Darwin Vaccination Center for the flu vaccine?
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  Speaker 2: So this is a very targeted campaign and we're encouraging
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  Speaker 2: parents to book in their children from age six months
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  Speaker 2: to under five, so it's a very specific targeted group.
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  Speaker 2: So we're making the center open for the under five
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  Speaker 2: year old.
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  Speaker 1: And how come they are being targeted as part of
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  Speaker 1: this campaign.
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  Speaker 2: So people may know that there's a variety of categories
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  Speaker 2: that are available for or recommended to have influenza vaccine
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  Speaker 2: every year, and children under the age of five are
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  Speaker 2: particularly vulnerable. To severe symptoms associated with influenza. And when
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  Speaker 2: we looked at our coverage rates last week, it showed
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  Speaker 2: that we only had seventeen percent of children in this
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  Speaker 2: age group who had been vaccinated against influenza. And so
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  Speaker 2: we're doing this three week blitz to make it easier
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  Speaker 2: for parents to book online to get this particular cohort vaccinated.
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  Speaker 1: Savini. I know that there'll be a lot of people
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  Speaker 1: listening this morning thinking to themselves, why are we in
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  Speaker 1: a situation in the Northern Territory where the vaccine isn't
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  Speaker 1: free for everybody like it is in other states. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: So, as I said, the federal government and a Targi
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  Speaker 2: who we're all familiar with now with the COVID vaccine announcements,
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  Speaker 2: they have specific groups that they recommend are at higher
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  Speaker 2: risk of getting severe disease of influenza, and those people
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  Speaker 2: can get the vaccine, the influenza vaccine for free through
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  Speaker 2: their GP, their community pharmacy, and through anti health centers
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  Speaker 2: in the territory. We've continue to target those people who
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  Speaker 2: are at higher risk as opposed to opening up free
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  Speaker 2: vaccinations for the general population, because we're really wanting to
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  Speaker 2: make sure those vulnerable groups get access to the vaccine
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  Speaker 2: early on in the season.
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  Speaker 1: Do we have any idea how many cases we have
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  Speaker 1: right now? I know that it was being reported by
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  Speaker 1: other media that you know that those numbers are increasingly high.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. What's been interesting this year and I know doctor
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  Speaker 2: Jackie Murdock's been talking about this over the last couple
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  Speaker 2: of weeks. Is usually in the territory and round Australia,
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  Speaker 2: we don't see influenza cases until sort of the southern
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  Speaker 2: winter hits, which is sort of June, July August. And
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  Speaker 2: what's happened this year with the International Boarders opening and
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  Speaker 2: it being particularly cold early on the Eastern seaboard is
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  Speaker 2: we've had flu cases rise earlier than in previous years.
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  Speaker 2: And our Center for Disease Control in the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 2: does monitor numbers and they release those numbers on a
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  Speaker 2: weekly basis, and so we've had a much earlier start
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  Speaker 2: to the influenza a season than in previous years.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and so what is you know from your perspective,
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  Speaker 1: what do you think that's going to mean moving forward?
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  Speaker 1: Do you think that we're going to see that sort
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  Speaker 1: of spike that we're seeing right now and then things
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  Speaker 1: will dip off or are we going to see those
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  Speaker 1: numbers continue to remain high.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like a crystal bor gazing expercise, Kati. So
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  Speaker 2: what this is why we've opened up the vaccination center
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  Speaker 2: for that vulnerable group of six months to under five
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  Speaker 2: because we don't really know how the influenza season is
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  Speaker 2: going to unfold because we've been relatively sheltered from the
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  Speaker 2: flu over the last couple of years with the borders
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  Speaker 2: being closed and now that they're open and lots of
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  Speaker 2: people visiting family or going overseas for holidays that they've
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  Speaker 2: had to put off over the last couple of years,
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  Speaker 2: has meant that the influenza virus has come comeing too
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  Speaker 2: Australia a bit earlier than normal. And so what we're
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  Speaker 2: recommending and what unrecommend is those people who are eligible
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  Speaker 2: for a free influenza vaccine, please go to your regular
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  Speaker 2: primary care provider. And then there's a lot of workplaces
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  Speaker 2: are also offering flu free flu shots for their staff,
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  Speaker 2: So check in with your manager to see whether your
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  Speaker 2: workplace is offering a vaccination program this year. And then
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  Speaker 2: those people who don't who aren't eligible for a free vaccine,
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  Speaker 2: you can still go to your community pharmacy or your
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  Speaker 2: GP to get a shot, and it is quite affordable
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  Speaker 2: for people.
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  Speaker 1: And Bevini, I'm not sure if you're the right person
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  Speaker 1: to ask or not. Feel free to tell me if
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  Speaker 1: you're not. Obviously, those numbers, the latest numbers do say
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  Speaker 1: that there's around three thy two hundred with flu at
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  Speaker 1: the moment as of June thirteen, and forty two patients
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  Speaker 1: in hospital with the flu. Have we had anybody pass
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  Speaker 1: away with the flu this season?
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  Speaker 2: Not that I'm aware of, but I'm not I'm not
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  Speaker 2: the right person who tracks that that statistics. But generally
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  Speaker 2: with influenza, people can get severely sick and then be
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  Speaker 2: treated in hospitals. But we don't always. We don't see
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  Speaker 2: the same rates of people passing away from flu as
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  Speaker 2: we did with COVID. So, as far as I'm aware,
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  Speaker 2: I'm not aware of anyone passing away from influenza. But
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  Speaker 2: CDC are the people who keep them.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, we can certainly ask them. BRAVENI, how can bookings
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  Speaker 1: be made? You know, to those out there listening who
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  Speaker 1: do fall in those categories that you've spoken to us about,
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  Speaker 1: how can bookings be made?
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  Speaker 2: Yep, So for the Marara Vaccination Center. People can hop
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  Speaker 2: online and if they just search influenza vacca in or
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  Speaker 2: fluvac's n TI gov. We've got a website and people
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  Speaker 2: can click on a link and book their child in
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  Speaker 2: for a vaccination. The Marara centers open from nine till
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  Speaker 2: five Monday to Thursday, nine till four on Fridays, and
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  Speaker 2: nine till three on Saturday, so there's plenty of options
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  Speaker 2: for people. If you're in other categories, you can get
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  Speaker 2: your free influenza shot from your GP or your primary
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  Speaker 2: care provider, so through your remote health centers Danella, Dilba
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  Speaker 2: or Congress or the Archow Services in Go Katherine and
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  Speaker 2: Tenant Creek.
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  Speaker 1: Well Baveni Patel, Executive Director of Medicine Management, we really
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  Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning. Thanks so much for having
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  Speaker 1: a chat with me.
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  Speaker 2: Great Thank you, Katie, thank you