ATAGI’s ‘rigid guidelines’ has placed pressure on GPs to encourage vaccinations

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation’s rigid and “vague messaging” has increased pressure on GPs to encourage Australians to get the COVID-19 vaccine, says RACGP’s NSW Chair Dr Charlotte Hespe. The expert panel on vaccinations has faced pressure from Prime Minister Scott Morrison to change its official health advice on the AstraZeneca jab in the wake of the nation’s latest Delta outbreaks. “The pressure’s already on people like myself really just to get the message across – we need to vaccinate as many people as we can as efficiently and as smoothly as we can,” she told Sky News Australia. “The ATAGI guidelines have really not helped in the messaging because they have been fairly rigid and not encouraging people understand what each of the vaccines offers them and why. “It’d certainly be helpful, I know that they’ve done their best but for me and my fellow GP colleagues, it does make it difficult when it’s a very vague message. “We really, really want people to understand that being vaccinated is a benefit, it will protect you, and will help us really get this current surge and infections under control.” Via news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site https://www.news.com.au