The Australian Government has commended workers across the aged care sector for “their extraordinary commitment to protect themselves and those they care for” ahead of today’s 17 September deadline for residential care workers to have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
95.8 per cent of residential aged care workers have now received a first dose, with 76.9 per cent of workers fully vaccinated, according to data yesterday from the My Aged Care portal staff vaccination progress. These rates are higher than those across the community and reflects the determination of staff and administrators.
It also represents one of the highest workforce vaccination rates in the world.
Health and Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt and Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Minister, Senator Richard Colbeck said the uptake in vaccinations by aged care staff has provided a blueprint for others to follow.
“It is a reflection of the commitment of the workforce and the partnership between the Government, aged care peaks and unions in supporting the mandatory vaccination order,” said Mr Hunt.
All residential care providers are required to ensure their workforce COVID-19 vaccination and exemption data is up to date via the Government’s My Aged Care portal.
From today, this data will be used to assess compliance with the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements outlined in the public health orders in each state or territory.
COVID-19 vaccines have proved to be a powerful tool in protecting older Australians against the virus this year – to date, aged care residents have only accounted for 10 per cent of COVID-19 deaths this, compared to 75 per cent in 2020.
But what about the five per cent of staff that are not yet vaccinated?
There is good news here.
The Department is actively engaging with providers with lower vaccination rates. In many cases, their data hadn’t yet been updated in My Aged Care – so the overall vaccination rate is likely higher.
In some cases, the Department is also providing additional assistance to ensure workers who may not have accessed a vaccine yet will be able to have a vaccination – including additional on-site clinics.
If providers do experience a shortage of staff due to some workers choosing not to be vaccinated, the Department has also put a range of options in place to provide extra staffing including agency staff.
It’s reassuring to know that our Mums and Dads won’t miss out on the support they need – and the majority of their carers are now protected against this virus.
