7 May 2021

Dear colleagues,

As you will have seen, New South Wales recorded two new cases of locally acquired cases of COVID-19 this week. As a result, from 1am today people arriving in Queensland who have visited an exposure site in New South Wales must go into hotel quarantine for 14 days. If you have recently returned from New South Wales and have any symptoms at all, please get tested and isolate until you have a negative test result. The full list of exposure venues can be found on the Queensland Health COVID-19 contact tracing website. Please ensure you continue to monitor this page as the list of exposure sites will be updated regularly.

Interchangeability of vaccines

The Commonwealth has issued new advice on the interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines.

As per the clinical guidance from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are not considered interchangeable. The two-dose course should be completed with the same vaccine. There is no data yet on the efficacy of mixed schedules.

If an individual develops anaphylaxis or a severe allergic reaction after the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, an alternate band can be considered for the second dose. It is recommended to receive a different vaccine (either Pfizer or AstraZeneca) at an interval of 4 to 12 weeks after the first dose. If an alternate brand is used for the second dose, a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine does not need to be given.

For further information, see the ATAGI clinical guidance on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in Australia in 2021.

Vaccine advice for international arrivals

The Commonwealth has also announced this week that people who have returned from overseas having received a first dose of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca are eligible to receive their second dose regardless of phase eligibility. This is because it is important these people receive timely completion of their vaccine schedule with a second dose of the same vaccine.

Staff vaccinations

Our flu vaccination programs are up and running across our facilities, and I would encourage you all to get your flu shot this year. As a reminder, the COVID-19 vaccination program is open to all staff and your household contacts. You can register your interest and book an appointment online through our COVID-19 vaccinations website.

I want to thank everyone for their commitment and care during these last few weeks.  Unfortunately, we are still dealing with unknown scenarios in the COVID-19 space and as we deal with what happens I want to thank you for your agility and ability to deal with the changes.  I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. The days are getting cooler so if you do have an opportunity to stay in bed with a hot cup of coffee/tea and a good book I would strongly advise you do so….it is great for the soul!!!

Kind regards,

Alanna Geary
Metro North Incident Controller

Metro North HHS – overview of cases*

* As at 7/05/2021 1000
** Metro North has four recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)
*** These numbers reflect the cases being managed by Metro North.