Changes to the eligibility rules for a COVID-19 booster shot has seen demand surge as 50,000 people became eligible for their third dose earlier this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Changes to the eligibility window mean those who have received both primary vaccination doses can apply for a booster shot after five months, instead of the previous six-month window.
On December 12, ATAGI released a statement on the timing of COVID-19 booster shots, which said bringing forward the booster dose would provide improved protection against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.
READ MORE: Woman dies after fatal motorcycle crash
Ms O'Byrne said the shortage in supply was further compounded as only 45 per cent of the pharmacies in the state offering Pfizer doses, citing high administration costs.
"The issue is the commonwealth government isn't covering the administration costs for pharmacies to provide the boosters, so those costs, administering the dose and making the booking are passed on to the businesses," she said.
She said Moderna doses administered in pharmacies were still available after receiving approval last week, but Pfizer was booked out until January.
Newstead Medical practice partner Dr Toby Gardner said his practice had also been impacted by the decision, after only being advised of changes to the program the previous night.
"We received an email from ATAGI the night before," he said. "It created a lot of stress the next morning because a lot of us were not prepared for the change."
He said 50,000 extra people were now eligible to receive a booster, with that number expected to reach 80,000 next month.
With the Newstead Medical Practice only offering Pfizer, Dr Gardner said the clinic was now booked out until early February.
He said with the transmissibility of Omicron a significant concern, changes to the booster program had been met with anger and frustration by those seeking their booster.
"It's significant, two shots are not as effective against Omicron and having a booster shot will significantly decrease the impacts of the Omicron strain," he said.
Tasmanian Vaccination Emergency Operations Centre commander Dale Webster confirmed ATAGI brought the timing for boosters forward by one month over the weekend.
While the changes by the federal government had impacted private run clinics, Mr Webster said there was no shortage of vaccinations for appointments in state-run clinics.
"In Launceston, there are thousands of appointments available in the next six weeks," he said.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners state chairman Tim Jackson said with many primary health staff expected to take time off over the holiday period the booster program would experience further delays.
He said although the pandemic called for a dynamic approach to decision making, in hindsight forewarning GPs would have allowed clinics to better prepare for the increase in expected patients.
He said in addition to providing vaccinations and booster shots, GPs were also stretched across a range of other services they provided the community, but urged the public to remain patient.
The statement from ATAGI said it would continue to review emerging evidence on the optimal interval between primary and booster COVID-19 vaccine and would provide updated advice in future as required.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
- Follow us on Google News: The Examiner