Govt calls on remaining aged care staff to get the jab
A new video encouraging residential aged care workers to get vaccinated has launched this week as three states and a territory release their vaccination public health orders.
The Department of Health has launched a video this week to boost vaccination uptake among residential aged care workers as three more states and a territory publish public health orders mandating the vaccine.
Just over two-thirds of residential aged care workers have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine (68 per cent) four weeks out from the 17 September deadline for a vaccination.
Providers have reported the vaccination status of 278,022 workers, of whom 129,286 aged care workers are fully vaccinated (47 per cent) and 59,221 employees have had a first dose only (21 per cent), a spokesperson from the Department of Health told Australian Ageing Agenda.
The video, which features residential aged care workers in different roles encouraging their counterparts to get vaccinated, is part of a campaign to address vaccine hesitancy and promote ways for staff to get vaccinated safely and as quickly as possible.
This week and last, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and the Northern Territory have joined Western Australia in publishing public health orders mandating the vaccine for people working in residential aged care homes as National Cabinet agreed to do in June.
When released, Victoria’s relevant public health order will require staff to receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine a day earlier than the agreed date, but will otherwise follow the framework endorsed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.
“Victoria’s Department of Health has notified providers they need to ensure workers are vaccinated by Thursday 16 September,” the Commonwealth Department of Health said.
Access the public health orders.
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