Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation

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Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation
Agency overview
Formed1 February 1998 (1998-02-01) [1]
Jurisdiction Australian Government
Employees15 members
Agency executives
  • Dr. Nigel Crawford, Chair
Parent department Department of Health
Website health.gov.au/committees-and-groups/australian-technical-advisory-group-on-immunisation-atagi

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) is a technical advisory group of the Australian Government. As part of the Department of Health, ATAGI provides advice to the Minister of Health on the immunisation program of Australia and related matters, including the strength of evidence pertaining to existing, new, and emerging vaccines. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Roles

ATAGI's role [2]

Members

ATAGI's members are appointed by Minister of Health (including a Chair and Deputy Chair) through an informal nomination process for a term of four years. ATAGI comprise voting members (including a Chair and Deputy Chair) and six ex-officio members, which are: [4]

Voting Members

As of May 2023, ATAGI's voting member are as follows: [1]

No.PositionNameStart DateEnd Date
1ChairDr. Nigel Crawford1 January 202330 June 2024
2Deputy ChairAssoc Prof Michelle Giles1 January 202330 June 2024
3MemberProf. Tony Korman1 July 201930 June 2023
4MemberProf. Tom Snelling1 July 201930 June 2023
5MemberKristy Cooper25 January 202130 June 2025
6MemberProf. Cheryl Jones1 July 201930 June 2023
7MemberDr. Katherine Gibney1 July 201930 June 2023
8MemberProf. Bette Liu1 July 201930 June 2023
9MemberDr. Nicholas Silberstein1 January 202330 June 2025
10MemberMs. Diane Walsh1 January 202330 June 2025
11MemberProf. James Wood1 January 202330 June 2025
12MemberMs. Karen Ballamy1 July 201930 June 2023
13MemberProf Katie Flanagan1 July 201930 June 2023
14MemberProf. Penelope Burns1 January 202330 June 2025
15MemberProf. Allen Cheng1 January 202330 June 2025

Temporary Members

Temporary members may be appointed on a short term basis to provide specific expertise on key topics. Temporary members will be voting members for the term of their appointment to ATAGI. [5]

Meetings

The standard number of ATAGI meetings is six per year (in February, April, June, August, October and December). These are pre-planned annually, according to the schedules of government and department programmes for the year. However, it is open for ATAGI to organise meetings and consultations at any time, whenever there may be need, on the group's initiative, or at the request of the department. [6] [7]

Recommendations

Advice during COVID-19 pandemic

On 8 April 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, ATAGI met with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regarding the recent concerns of blood clots following administration of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. ATAGI advised the government to use the AstraZeneca vaccine only for people over the age of 50. [8] [9] However on 17 June 2021, after cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) and two deaths, ATAGI changed their previous advice and only recommended the AstraZeneca vaccine for those over 60 years-of-age. The Commonwealth government followed their advice. [10]

COVID-19 vaccines for 12 to 15 years old individuals

On 27 August 2021, Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine has been recommended by ATAGI for adolescents aged 12 years or older after the TGA had extended the registration of the vaccine for administration to those age groups on 23 July 2021. [11]

Booster dose for severely immunocompromised

On 8 October 2021, ATAGI recommends the government start the rollout of booster dose (3rd dose) of COVID-19 vaccines for severely immunocompromised persons aged 12 years old or older. The preferable vaccines for booster dose are the mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna). A 2 to 6 months interval for the booster dose from the date of second dose of the previous vaccine is recommended by ATAGI. [12]

Booster dose for adult Australians

On 28 October 2021, ATAGI recommends the Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine as a booster dose for Australians aged 18 years or older, regardless of the previous COVID-19 vaccine used. The booster dose should be taken after six months from the second dose of the last course vaccination. However, the booster dose is not mandatory but recommended for high priority groups like aged care facilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, healthcare workers, people with underlying medical conditions, and people at increased occupational risk of COVID-19. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom which is responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are acceptably safe.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is the medicine and therapeutic regulatory agency of the Australian Government. As part of the Department of Health and Aged Care, the TGA regulates the quality, supply and advertising of medicines, pathology devices, medical devices, blood products and most other therapeutics. Any items that claim to have a therapeutic effect, are involved in the administration of medication, or are otherwise covered by the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989, the Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990, or a ministerial order, must be approved by the TGA and registered in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an independent expert advisory committee that advises United Kingdom health departments on immunisation, making recommendations concerning vaccination schedules and vaccine safety. It has a statutory role in England and Wales, and health departments in Scotland and Northern Ireland may choose to accept its advice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine</span> Viral vector vaccine for prevention of COVID-19 by Oxford University and AstraZeneca

The Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID‑19 vaccine, sold under the brand names Covishield and Vaxzevria among others, is a viral vector vaccine for prevention of COVID-19. Developed in the United Kingdom by Oxford University and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca, using as a vector the modified chimpanzee adenovirus ChAdOx1. The vaccine is given by intramuscular injection. Studies carried out in 2020 showed that the efficacy of the vaccine is 76.0% at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 beginning at 22 days following the first dose, and 81.3% after the second dose. A study in Scotland found that, for symptomatic COVID-19 infection after the second dose, the vaccine is 81% effective against the Alpha variant, and 61% against the Delta variant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine</span> Type of vaccine for humans

The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, sold under the brand name Comirnaty, is an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech. For its development, BioNTech collaborated with American company Pfizer to carry out clinical trials, logistics, and manufacturing. It is authorized for use in people to provide protection against COVID-19, caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The vaccine is given by intramuscular injection. It is composed of nucleoside-modified mRNA (modRNA) encoding a mutated form of the full-length spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, which is encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles. Initial advice indicated that vaccination required two doses given 21 days apart, but the interval was later extended to up to 42 days in the US, and up to four months in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom</span> Immunisation against COVID-19

The COVID-19 vaccination programme in the United Kingdom is an ongoing mass immunisation campaign for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

The COVID-19 vaccination program in the Philippines is an ongoing mass immunization campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country. The vaccination program was initiated by the Duterte administration on March 1, 2021, a day after the arrival of the country's first vaccine doses which were donated by the Chinese government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of COVID-19 vaccine development</span> Scientific work to develop a vaccine for COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was isolated in late 2019. Its genetic sequence was published on 11 January 2020, triggering the urgent international response to prepare for an outbreak and hasten development of a preventive COVID-19 vaccine. Since 2020, vaccine development has been expedited via unprecedented collaboration in the multinational pharmaceutical industry and between governments. By June 2020, tens of billions of dollars were invested by corporations, governments, international health organizations, and university research groups to develop dozens of vaccine candidates and prepare for global vaccination programs to immunize against COVID‑19 infection. According to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the geographic distribution of COVID‑19 vaccine development shows North American entities to have about 40% of the activity, compared to 30% in Asia and Australia, 26% in Europe, and a few projects in South America and Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Australia</span> Ongoing COVID-19 vaccine program in Australia

The general COVID-19 vaccination in Australia program began on 22 February 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of vaccinating all willing people in Australia before 2022. Front-line workers and aged care staff and residents had priority for being inoculated, before a gradual phased release to less-vulnerable and lower-risk population groups throughout 2021. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved four vaccines for Australian use in 2021: the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine on 25 January, the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine on 16 February, Janssen vaccine on 25 June and the Moderna vaccine on 9 August. Although approved for use, the Janssen vaccine was not included in the Australian vaccination program as of June 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in the Republic of Ireland</span> Immunisation plan against COVID-19

The COVID-19 vaccination programme in the Republic of Ireland is an ongoing mass immunisation campaign that began on 29 December 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland. Ireland's vaccination rollout has been praised as one of the most successful rollouts in the world and was ranked number one in the European Union in terms of its percentage of adult population fully vaccinated, and was also ranked number one in the EU for the number of booster vaccines administered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Canada</span> COVID-19 vaccination programme in Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in South Africa</span> Plan to immunize against COVID-19 in South Africa

COVID-19 vaccination in South Africa is an ongoing immunisation campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country.

The COVID-19 vaccination program in Colombia is an ongoing effort of mass immunization put in place by the Colombian government in order to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus causing COVID-19 was confirmed to have reached Colombia on 6 March 2020. Colombia's preparation and readiness for a vaccine program allowed it to join the first group of countries who received vaccines through COVAX. The first vaccine in Colombia was given to a nurse on 17 February 2021.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is an advisory body that provides the Government of Canada with medical and scientific advice relating to human immunization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embolic and thrombotic events after COVID-19 vaccination</span> Post vaccination adverse effects

Post-vaccination embolic and thrombotic events, termed vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia (VIPIT), thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT), or vaccine-associated thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VATT), are rare types of blood clotting syndromes that were initially observed in a number of people who had previously received the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID‑19 vaccine (AZD1222) during the COVID‑19 pandemic. It was subsequently also described in the Janssen COVID‑19 vaccine leading to suspension of its use until its safety had been reassessed. On 5 May 2022 the FDA posted a bulletin limiting the use of the Janssen Vaccine to very specific cases due to further reassesment of the risks of TTS, although the FDA also stated in the same bulletin that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.

Vaccination in Mexico includes the use of vaccines in advancing public health. Mexico has a multi-year program for immunisation of children. The immunisation of children is fully covered by the government of Mexico. Mexico has an adverse events committee to monitor the adverse effects of vaccination as well as a standing technical advisory group on immunization.

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Quebec is an ongoing provincial effort to distribute and administer vaccines against COVID-19.

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign began in Fiji on the first quarter of 2021 and will continue throughout the year with the goal of vaccinating all eligible Fijians. The government has made it mandatory for all eligible adults to take the COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID-19 vaccination in Ontario began in December 2020, when the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine were administered. In February 2021, shipments for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines increased significantly. By May 2021, over 50 percent of Ontarians had received their first dose.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation". Department of Health Directory. Retrieved 2 June 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. 1 2 Australian Government; Department of Health (18 March 2021). "Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI)". Department of Health. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  3. Victoria State Government Department of Health; SafeVic; Murdoch Children's Research Institute (October 2020). "Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI)". Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  4. M.Nolan, Terry (19 April 2010). "The Australian model of immunization advice and vaccine funding". Vaccine. Elsevier. 28: A76-83. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.02.038 . PMID   20413003.
  5. "Policies and procedures for the administration and governance of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation". 1 July 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  6. Australian Government; Department of Health (25 August 2021). "Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) – Meetings". Department of Health. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  7. Australian Government; Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (25 August 2021). "6.5 Role of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation for requests to list vaccines". Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  8. Australian Government, Department of Health (8 April 2021). "ATAGI statement on AstraZeneca vaccine in response to new vaccine safety concerns". Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  9. "AstraZeneca vaccine: How new advice means total REPLAN of vaccine rollout". 7news. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  10. Hitch, Georgia (17 June 2021). "AstraZeneca COVID vaccine use recommended for over-60s only following ATAGI meeting". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  11. "ATAGI recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in all young adolescents in Australia". Australian Government Department of Health. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  12. "ATAGI statement on the use of a 3rd primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine in individuals who are severely immunocompromised". 6 October 2021.
  13. "Australians To Receive Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Shot". 28 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.