The Grange Family Medical Centre
Port Macquarie General Practitioners
Meet Dr Melwin Nelapati! He is our new General Practitioner at The Grange Family Medical Centre.
Melwin is a local boy – he grew up down the road in Lake Cathie and attended SCAS in Port Macquarie. After a few years away in Sydney, he was lucky enough to return home and complete his training at the UNSW Rural Clinical School. Over the last few years, Melwin has been working at Port Macquarie Base Hospital, Royal North Shore Hospital and out west at Bourke and Parkes.
Three things about Melwin –
Melwin’s favourite holiday destination is Paris! The food, wine, art and culture are amazing. He could spend months on end there and never be bored! His favourite colour is dark blue, and if he were a zoo animal, Melwin thinks he might be a sea otter.
Flu Season is coming!❄️
We will be running a Free Flu Clinic for our patients who are 65 years of age or over. The clinic will run from Monday 17th April to Thursday 20th April between 8:30am and 10:00am each day.
Please call us on (02) 6584 5244 to book in.
ATAGI recommends an additional booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to increase vaccine protection before winter for selected population groups who are at greatest risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and who have received their primary vaccination and first booster dose. These groups are:
The additional winter booster dose can be given from 4 months or longer after the person has received their first booster dose, or from 4 months after a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, if infection occurred since the person’s first COVID-19 booster dose.
ATAGI recommends that the rollout of the additional booster dose for these groups starts from April 2022, coinciding with the rollout of the 2022 influenza vaccination program.
Influenza vaccine can be co-administered with the additional booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine. However, if a person is not yet eligible for their additional booster dose, influenza vaccine could be given ahead of the additional booster dose.
| Target group | Recommendation for additional booster dose | Comments/information gaps/next steps |
|---|---|---|
| People aged ≥65 years | Recommended | Recommended from 4 months after the previous booster dose, or from 4 months after previous SARS-CoV-2 infection if this occurred since the previous booster dose. |
| Residents of aged care or disability care facilities | Recommended | Includes people with disability in group residential care facilities. Includes people in residential aged care or disability care who are aged <65 years. Recommended from 4 months after the previous booster dose, or from 4 months after previous SARS-CoV-2 infection if this occurred since the previous booster dose. |
| People who are severely immunocompromised aged ≥16 years | Recommended for people with severe immunocompromise, as defined in the ATAGI statement on use of a 3rd primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine in individuals who are severely immunocompromised | This will be a 5th dose as this group is recommended to receive 3 primary doses. Recommended from 4 months after the previous booster dose, or from 4 months after previous SARS-CoV-2 infection if this occurred since the previous booster dose. |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged ≥50 years | Recommended | Recommended from 4 months after the previous booster dose, or from 4 months after previous SARS-CoV-2 infection if this occurred since the previous booster dose. |
| People aged <65 years with medical conditions that may increase their risk of COVID-19[1] | Not currently recommended. Remains under active consideration | Complete primary schedule. Promote first booster dose, if not already given. ATAGI will continue to evaluate emerging evidence over the coming weeks. |
| Health care, aged care and disability care workers | Complete primary schedule. Promote first booster dose, if not already given. ATAGI will continue to evaluate emerging evidence over the coming weeks. Maximise up to date vaccination of patients under care. | |
| All others aged 16–64 years | Complete primary schedule. Promote first booster dose, if not already given. ATAGI will continue to evaluate emerging evidence over the coming weeks. | |
| All others aged 5–15 years | Complete primary schedule. ATAGI will evaluate emerging evidence over the coming weeks regarding the first booster dose. | |
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We will continue to be a part of your healthcare team and ask that you help us to help you by reading and using this resource I have COVID, the infection. Now what?
If you are unvaccinated, have had only one vaccine, are severely immunocompromised or pregnant, please let us know ASAP (book an urgent telehealth consultation) as there are specific management pathways we may need to facilitate
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years – information for parents and guardians
The TGA has granted approval for the Pfizer vaccine to be administered to children from age 5 and up. ATAGI have authorised a lower dose of the vaccine (1/3 of the adult dose) to be given 8 weeks apart, from January 10, 2022. Appointments can be made by calling our reception team on 5507 9600
Please be patient with our team, they are experiencing a large volume of calls and are doing the absolute best they can
Please book your second appointment when you book your first.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE!
Please click on the link below for the vaccination consent form
