As Australia moves closer to dispensing COVID-19 vaccines, debate has ignited about who should be allowed to administer the jabs.

Nurses are pushing for permission to dispense COVID-19 vaccinations at general practices, to ease the burden on doctors, while pharmacists may also be permitted to administer them.

Emergency physician and former AMA Victoria vice-president, Dr Stephen Parnis, says he has “no problem” with the proposal for nurses to give the vaccines.

But he has “more reservations” about pharmacists administering vaccines.

“The pharmacists … only started doing it recently and it’s always been a question of what levels of expertise and training they’ve had for when things don’t go smoothly,” he told Ross and Russel.

“But, as I said, you’ve got 50 million doses to give out here.

“When you’re trying to give two doses to 25 million people you need all hands on deck!

“It’s so important … because vaccination is the only thing that’s going to change the game.”

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