CATHOLIC SECTOR WELCOMES MANDATORY VAX BUT URGES QLD GOVT TO EXTEND TO PRIVATE HEALTH

Catholic Health Australia, the peak advisory body for not-for-profit hospitals and aged care, welcomes the news that the Queensland Government has taken the step to mandate the vaccination of its own health workers against COVD-19 but has urged it to extend public health orders to cover the private system as well.

CHA, which is a national body, has been calling for the mandatory vaccination of the health workforce since mid-July.

NSW was the first to move and on 27 August issued a public health order to its workers to get vaccinated. Since then, Western Australia, Tasmania and now Queensland have followed.

Catholic Health Australia Health Policy Director James Kemp said: “We welcome the news yet another state is moving on this key issue.

“Vaccinating health care workers is critical to serving the public interest, saving lives and preserving the health of Queenslanders during this difficult time.

“But the Queensland Government’s mandate should cover all health workers. The Delta variant makes no distinction between public and private and that’s why we need a single, uniform rule across Australia for everyone working in a hospital environment.

“The high transmissibility of the Delta variant of COVID is putting workers across the public and private sectors and the people they care for at greater risk as well as putting extra strain on staff.

“A blanket public health order takes the decision-making out of the hands of operators – it’s a safer and more thorough approach.

Mr Kemp said the majority of staff working in the Catholic sector had been vaccinated but a government mandate would give a “nudge” to the few remaining staff who are unvaccinated.

The COVID-19 vaccine joins a number of vaccines that health care workers are already required to get – such as vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella.