Canberra residents struggling to access shingles vaccine
If you are over 65, or living with compromised immunity, you are eligible for a free shingles vaccine. Depending on where you live, you may have to wait, unless you can afford to pay around 300 dollars a dose. But here in the ACT the wait could be months, and there is no guarantee you can get the vaccine, even if you are willing to pay.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00 This is wild zoo animals, a bear.
00:09 Was just really painful.
00:10 I think that was the thing I remember most was it was pretty much the worst pain I've
00:14 experienced I would say.
00:17 Paul Dowden was in his 40s when he was hit by shingles for the first time.
00:21 It's a debilitating disease caused by the same virus that brings on chicken pox.
00:26 Triggers include age and stress, but it can happen to anyone and it can have lifelong
00:31 effects.
00:32 Let's go outside.
00:33 Paul's gone through it three times.
00:35 I also have three children.
00:36 I have one child with a significant disability on cue and he needs 24 hour care and you need
00:46 to be, he's 30 kilos so you need to be able to lift him because he can't walk and when
00:52 I had shingles just over Easter I was hopeless, I just couldn't help.
00:55 The last time he had it he was fully vaccinated.
00:58 An expensive ordeal, but one he says was worth it.
01:02 The vaccine itself, shingrix, helps keep the infection at bay and is highly effective.
01:08 We've now realised just recently that the vaccine can recruit new T cells into our cell
01:17 mediated immune pool to control and resist the occurrence of shingles.
01:24 It's also in high demand.
01:26 Demand has been huge to be honest.
01:29 Every pharmacy across the territory is receiving calls and enquiries all the time as to the
01:34 availability of shingrix.
01:35 Part of the national immunisation program, shingrix is free for people aged 65 and over,
01:41 First Nations people over 50 and adults with severely weakened immune systems.
01:46 The program costs around $827 million and it's estimated around 5 million people are
01:53 eligible.
01:54 The government itself is responsible for the storage and distribution of the vaccines,
01:58 but it has no control over how many doses it gets.
02:01 Demand has been really high in the ACT.
02:04 We've had really good uptake which is great and so that may have led to people thinking
02:09 that there's a supply issue.
02:12 But there's no supply issue is what you're saying?
02:15 We receive our supply from the Commonwealth Government so they are responsible for procuring
02:21 vaccines.
02:22 But it can be a challenge even if you're willing to pay around $300 a dose.
02:28 Colette Gilmore paid for the first shot.
02:31 She was told to come back for the second in three to six months.
02:34 I went to get my vaccine and there was no stock and that was in October, November last
02:42 year.
02:43 November last year and you still haven't had your second dose?
02:46 No, I haven't, no and I have been back.
02:48 The Pharmacy Guild says there is availability for those who wish to pay, but each pharmacy
02:53 only receives 10 free doses per month.
02:56 It says the ACT is receiving its fair share based on population, but that doesn't factor
03:01 in Canberrans' attitude to vaccination.
03:04 We know that Canberra has the highest vaccination rates across Australia and we're an informed
03:09 society generally.
03:10 The ACT is in a unique position.
03:13 We have a very well educated population and demand for vaccines is always high.
03:18 In a statement, the Department of Health said more than 1.1 million doses have been administered
03:23 since the program started last November.
03:26 It said demand has exceeded initial forecasts and that discussions are underway with the
03:31 supplier to bring in additional stock.
03:33 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]