Dear Students,

We received the advice below from the Department of Health that the Australian Government is working closely with the states and territories to implement the National Cabinet decision to mandate that at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine be administered by mid-September 2021 for all residential aged care workers, irrespective of their age.

Students are included

The Department of Health issued a bulletin ‘Mandatory Vaccination of Aged Care Workers’ on 3 August 2021 which states that students are proposed to be included in the scope of the workforce now requiring the COVID-19 vaccination. Ultimately states and territories will determine the scope and exemptions to be included in the instruments to implement the National Cabinet decision. Please liaise with your state training authority to confirm students will be in the scope of the instrument.

How to access the vaccination

All primary care clinics are expected to make a vaccination appointment for residential aged care workers within seven days of a request. All residential aged care workers are eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Residential aged care workers can continue to access state and territory vaccination channels. Students may use the eligibility checker to check the availability of local appointments.

Further information on the Australian Government’s vaccination program is available on the Department of Health website. Information about implementation establishing mandatory vaccination requirements for residential aged care workers will be available from the Department of Health’s website. You may also contact the dedicated COVID-19 Vaccine Helpline on 1800 020 080 and select option 4 for more information. https://www.portalpintar.com/ Kind regards, IHNA Student Support