Medicare item on the cards for COVID-19 vaccination in GP practices
RACGP president Dr Karen Price says the item must be at least equivalent in value to a level C consult
The Federal Government is considering creating a new Medicare item to fund the mass rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations in general practice.
It says Australians should begin receiving their first doses by early March, subject to the TGA granting approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Supplies will initially be limited to 80,000 doses a week, with priority given to front-line workers in healthcare, hotel quarantine and border control, followed by aged care residents.
The rollout is then expected to expand when the second major vaccine candidate — developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University — becomes available, likely before the start of April.
