Benefits of Vaccination
- Protection against severe symptoms and death from COVID-19
- Protecting those around you who are not eligible to be vaccinated due to their medical conditions
- Helping reduce the spread of COVID-19
- Preventing prolonged symptoms known as ‘long COVID’
COVID-19 Vaccines Offered
At The Good Samaritan Medical Centre, we are constantly staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccination roll out and the latest information from the NSW Health Department. Currently we provide Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine services to our patients.
COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnancy
The following advice is provided by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
- During pregnancy, you can get vaccinated with Pfizer at any stage of your pregnancy
- There is no need to delay vaccination if you’re trying to be pregnant and/or you do not need to delay pregnancy post vaccination
- COVID-19 vaccination may provide protection to your baby while pregnant through the transfer of antibodies via the placenta or breast milk if breastfeeding
- You have a higher risk of COVID-19 and/or premature delivery of your baby, if you are pregnant and unvaccinated.
COVID-19 Vaccine side effects
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) reported that most side effects are short lived and mild in nature. Common side effects include:
- Tiredness
- Headache
- Muscle or joint pain
- Fever and chills
- Pain or swelling at injection site
For more details visit ‘COVID-19 Vaccination – Patient Resources’
(https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/covid-19-vaccinationpatient-resources?language=en)
When to seek help?
Contact your doctor as soon as possible if you experience
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Swelling in your leg
- Chronic stomach pain
- Chronic headaches
- Spots under the skin in areas other than injection site
Who can get vaccinated?
The primary course of Pfizer vaccine is recommended for most people which comprises 2 doses, 8 weeks apart. For children aged 6 months to 5 years, the recommendation is 3 courses, 8 weeks apart.
For immunocompromised patients, it is recommended to have a third dose as the primary course.
A booster Pfizer dose can be given at 6 months or longer from your last COVID-19 vaccine or COVID-19 infection. It is recommended for
- Everyone aged 65 years and over
- Those who are 18 years and over with serious medical conditions or disability
- Those who are 5-17 year olds and have severe risk of illness due to health conditions
A booster dose is not recommended for children under 18 years of age if they do not have a serious risk of severe COVID-19.
The latest Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 vaccine can be used as a booster for adults 18 years and over.
Who should not have the Pfizer Vaccine?
It is not advised to have Pfizer if you had:
- A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to a previous dose
- Anaphylaxis after an exposure to any component of the vaccine
- Myocarditis and/or pericarditis associated with a previous dose
- Any other serious side effect of a previous dose of the vaccine
* All information is extracted from NSW Health government website, last updated 06 April 2023.
For more information visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/vaccination
COVID-19 Policies
To continue providing exceptional patient centred care and customer service,we must ensure the health safety of our patients and valued practitioners to the best of our abilities.
Hence, we kindly request that if you are experiencing flu-like or COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, cough, cold and flu, to give us a call ahead of your appointment and either wait outside the practice for your appointment orarrange a telehealth appointment with our receptionists.
If you are presenting for a face-to-face appointment, it is advisable to wear a face mask to protect you and others around you.
Please be advised that an eligibility for a telehealth appointment requires meeting one of the following criteria:
- Patient has attended an in person consultation at our practice within the last 12 months.
- Patient is less than 12 months old
- Patient is experiencing homelessness
- Patients live in a flood-affected area as defined by a State or Territory Government.
- Include eligibility for Antivirals:
If you would like to know if you are eligible for antiviral medication, please speak to your treating doctor or head over to the following website from the Australian Government for more information.
https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/treatments/eligibility