The change could enable GP practices to start offering both vaccines.
The storage requirements for the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine have changed this week, allowing vials to sit at normal refrigeration temperature for up to one month, says the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The TGA approved the application from Pfizer Australia yesterday, extending the storage period of unopened thawed vials at 2-8°C (After taking them out of deep-freeze conditions) from five days, to up to 31 days.
“The changed storage requirements will enable much greater flexibility in the distribution of the vaccine and have a significant impact on the roll out of the vaccine across Australia,” the TGA said in a media statement.
Under the previous storage requirements, the time used for transporting the Pfizer vials was counted towards the five-day limit that the vials could be stored at that temperature.
This presented a significant barrier for many general practices being able to store and administer the mRNA vaccines – ultimately leading to GPs becoming AstraZeneca-only hubs.
While there’s been no official move from the Department of Health to allow GP clinics to begin vaccinating with both Pfizer and AstraZeneca, the latest reforms to storage make it all the more likely.
And given the DoH has already been trialling Pfizer vaccination at the commonwealth respiratory clinics, many of which are GP-led, it stands to reason that GP clinics could be next.
The timing has never been so important, with the RACGP reporting that around 200 GP practices have already dropped out of the vaccine rollout in recent weeks, citing a “frustrating” process and an undersupply of AstraZeneca doses for their patients.
Simultaneously, TMR has heard from GPs that there’s been a huge hit in vaccine confidence in the last few weeks. It follows reports of the very rare but serious side effect of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia following the AstraZeneca jab.
GPs have said that if they had the option to offer certain patients Pfizer at their clinic, they could convince people to get vaccinated same-day.
Changes to the storage requirements can be found in the product information.
