‘It’s very frustrating’: GPs vent as Shingrix shortage drags on

Associate Professor Charlotte Hespe said GPs still had to prioritise patients for rationed doses.
RACGP NSW/ACT chair Professor Charlotte Hespe.

The months-long shortage of the recombinant herpes zoster vaccine Shingrix has continued to frustrate GPs, who are being forced to ration doses and choose which patients to prioritise as high-risk.

Since 1 November, patients aged 65 and over, immunocompromised adults, and Indigenous patients aged 50 and over have been eligible for a free two-dose course of Shingrix on the National Immunisation Program.

The federal Department of Health and Aged Care said that more than 1.6 million vaccinations had been administered in the first six months of the rollout.

But it conceded that patient demand had “exceeded the initial forecasts” agreed with states and territories based on population data and uptake of similar vaccination programs.