Fourth COVID jab recommended for cancer patients: ATAGI
Immunocompromised adults who have received three primary doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are now also recommended to have a booster or 4th dose for optimal protection.
ATAGI’s latest recommendations included that boosters should be provided at a 4-month interval after the primary course of vaccination, and when there is more capacity, as early as 3 months.
In its 24 December statement, ATAGI said a timely booster dose was particularly important for people with risk factors for severe disease including those aged ≥60 years, with underlying medical conditions, in aged/disability care and Indigenous Australians.
ATAGI warned booster vaccination alone will not be sufficient to avert a surge due to the Omicron variant.
“However, maximising booster coverage by expanding eligibility and encouraging high uptake, in combination with enhanced public health and social measures, may prevent a large surge in case numbers, hospitalisations and deaths.”
Survey highlights need for global guidelines on thromboprophylaxis
A group of international researchers is calling for global action on preventing hospital associated venous thromboembolism (VTE), alongside survey findings that revealed variation in national practices and guidelines.
According to the group, which included Professor Beverley Hunt, a Consultant Haematologist at Guys & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, UK, “it is essential to improve thromboprophylaxis adoption among hospitalised patients in order to meet WHO global targets of reducing mortality from non-communicable diseases by 25% by 2025”.
The call came with findings of a survey sent to members of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) designed to raise awareness of hospital associated VTE and explore different practices surrounding its risk assessment globally.
A total of 223 unique respondents from 213 unique hospitals and from 34 different countries responded to the survey, including 26 from Australia and NZ.
It revealed that on average 84% (n=179) of hospitals were reported as using a risk assessment tool, with 68% (n=121) having described it as mandatory. However, given that the data came from a sample of individuals with a major interest in thrombosis and haemostasis the results can’t be generalised, and the actual rates could be much lower, the researchers noted.
The findings also showed that just four (9%) of the countries surveyed – the UK, China, Belgium and North Macedonia – had national guidelines recommending use of VTE risk assessment.
“This data reinforces the concept that urgent measures are needed to improve the quality and use of risk assessment models to drive thromboprophylaxis around the globe,” the group concluded.
Have your say on the Australian Cancer Plan
Individuals and organisations are invited to ‘be bold and think big’ and provide their vision for a transformational Australian Cancer Plan for the decade 2023-2033.
Development of the proposed plan has already incorporated a Ministerial Roundtable held last year featuring key opinion leaders including Cancer Australia’s Professor Dorothy Keefe, COSA president Professor Fran Boyle, the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Professor Grant McArthur, along with consumer, Indigenous and health system perspectives.
Professor Keefe’s presentation highlighted the many successes in cancer control in Australia but said there was a case for change and a call for overarching direction.
Some of the principles underpinning the Plan include the pursuit of equity in health outcomes, closing the gap, patient/consumer centric care, and encompassing the whole continuum of cancer care.
Responses to an online survey or uploaded submissions through the Consultation Hub – open until 18 February 2022 – will help shape the focus and direction of the Plan.
Have your say here.