The Department of Health has updated the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) to improve functionality for vaccination providers and make it easier for people to stay up to date with their immunisations.
The Department said the improvements covered changes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, a catch-up schedule display for children’s records and reminder letters for older Australians.
“The National Immunisation Program (NIP) for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people provides additional vaccines to help improve the health of Indigenous people, and close the gap between Indigenous and non- Indigenous people in health and life expectancy,” the Department said.
“Until recently, the AIR used information from Medicare to record whether a person identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander,” it said.
“Now, vaccination providers can record this information directly on the AIR, it does not need to be the same as Medicare.”
The Department said that for children on an approved catch-up vaccination schedule, the schedule would now display at the top of the immunisation history statement.
It said that under AIR changes, Services Australia would send a reminder letter to older Australian’s who were eligible for a pneumococcal and/or shingles vaccination.
“On 1 July 2020, the recommended age on the NIP for older Australians to receive the pneumococcal vaccine changed from 65 to 70 years,” it said.
“Vaccination against shingles is still recommended for people from 70 years of age.”
The Department said immunisation was an essential health service during the COVID-19 pandemic and people should speak with their vaccination provider if they had any concerns about attending a healthcare facility.
