Patient referral for Pfizer
State Government COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics (including the Grampians Health Ballarat vaccination clinic) cannot accept referrals for alternate vaccines from GPs.
People aged 50 years or older may be eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine if they have a history of any of the following medical conditions:
- a history of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), splanchnic vein thrombosis, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), or thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS)
- Had immediate (within 2 hours) and generalised symptoms of a possible allergic reaction (e.g. hives) to a previous dose of AstraZeneca vaccine
- had anaphylaxis or generalised allergic reaction (without anaphylaxis) to any component of the AstraZeneca vaccine (e.g. polysorbate 80)
- have a history of polysorbate related reactions and/or a history of multiple allergic reactions to other medications containing polysorbate. (Please check the ingredients of the patient’s current/previously tolerated medications as they may contain polysorbate).
These people should be referred to the Victorian Specialist Immunisation Service (VicSIS) for further review and determination of eligibility. Please refer to the VICSIS referral guide which can be found on the Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre website.
Please note, patients must meet the strict criteria outlined on the VicSIS referral form.
State Government COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics (including the Ballarat Health Services vaccination clinic) cannot accept referrals from GPs.
State Government COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics administer AstraZeneca to people aged 50 years and over, unless instructed otherwise by VICSIS on a case-by-case basis.
Only people with a referral from VICSIS are eligible for an alternative vaccine.
For further information visit Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre (MVEC) website:
