Pharmacy Daily | Words matter in COVID-19 vax push

POLITICAL and health leaders need to choose their words wisely when it comes to COVID-19 and vaccines, Pharmacy Guild of Australia Victorian Branch Vice President, Anthony Tassone, warns.

Tassone told Pharmacy Daily there needed to be a collaborative and concerted effort by the Government, Departments of Health at State and Territory level, health professionals and patient groups, to provide clear and accurate information to the public for them to make an informed decision as to whether they would like to receive the vaccine.

"Unfortunately, some public comments, no matter what the intention may be -- can cause confusion for patients," he said.

"When announcing the 'circuit breaker' five-day lockdown and Stage Four restrictions in Victoria the Premier, Daniel Andrews, stated, 'This is not the 2020 virus, this is different, this is something very, very different', which has prompted some patients to query whether they should even bother receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

"If the virus is 'very different' will the vaccine even work?

"I'm sure the Premier would be a very strong supporter for the COVID-19 vaccine -- but language matters particularly when we are discussing a newly developed medicine where there is already a level of hesitancy amongst the public to receive it."

Tassone welcomed the Therapeutic Goods Administration's decision to grant provisional approval for the AstraZeneca vaccine (PD 15 Feb), but added that inter-professional rivalries needed to be put to one side to support the successful rollout of COVID-19 vaccines over the coming weeks.

"Combine this with recent public commentary from the Australian Medical Association President, Dr Omar Khorshid, questioning pharmacy's and pharmacist's ability to respond to rare anaphylactic reactions from vaccines, [and] it could dissuade some patients and potentially reduce the uptake of the vaccine from the range of providers who will be offering it as part of the Australian government's program," he said.

"We will know and understand in time what impact variants such as those seen in reported British and South African strains will have on the anti-body response and overall protection offered by the available vaccines we have for patients."