THE time has come to extend the National Immunisation Program (NIP) nationally, believes Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA) Executive Director, Suzanne Greenwood.
Writing in the Guild's Forefront newsletter this week, Greenwood called for the NIP to be extended to all states and territories, with the 2020 flu season expected to continue a worsening trend.
Currently, only Victoria, Western Australia and the ACT can administer vaccines through the program, with the latter two regions only in the pilot stage.
"Never has it been easier to get a vaccination, and if these were available under the NIP across the country then it is a foregone conclusion that community immunity rates would rise sharply," Greenwood said.
"This year the severity of the expected flu season has the added complexity of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, so boosting immunity rates has assumed an even greater importance.
"The more people who have the flu vaccine the better for improving community immunity."
Pharmacy Guild of Australia SA Branch President Nick Panayiaris also recently endorsed a broadening of the NIP (PD 09 Mar).
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 12 Mar 20
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