❓ The Minister for Health provides an update on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in WA, including vaccination requirements for school leavers and the expansion of the vaccination mandate to primary and community health workers to protect vulnerable populations.
AnsweredQoN 562Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — VACCINATION PROGRAM
562. Ms K.E. GIDDENS to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program and the efforts
underway to get as many Western Australians vaccinated as possible.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on the vaccination rollout, including vaccinations
for students and school leavers?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house what this government's decision to expand
the vaccination mandate to primary and community health workers will mean for
vulnerable people in our community?
562. Ms K.E. GIDDENS to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program and the efforts
underway to get as many Western Australians vaccinated as possible.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on the vaccination rollout, including vaccinations
for students and school leavers?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house what this government's decision to expand
the vaccination mandate to primary and community health workers will mean for
vulnerable people in our community?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. This government is extremely proud of Western
Australians for stepping up and rolling up
and getting themselves vaccinated. To date, 72.2 per cent of Western Australians have had their first dose, and more than 53 per cent are fully vaccinated. That
puts us slightly ahead of Queensland and slightly behind South Australia, but
essentially we are level-pegging with those states that are managing their
COVID-19 situations very well.
In addition, anyone wishing to attend
Western Australia's largest school leavers event in Dunsborough next
month will need to be vaccinated. The Chief Health Officer had provided advice
to the government that this precaution is
necessary to ensure a safe event for school leavers and the local community.
One thing we can be sure of is that we cannot be confident of physical
distancing at schoolies! It is appropriate that we take these steps to make
sure that we continue to protect the community. We will have pop-up clinics in
Bunbury, Dunsborough and Busselton to make sure that these school leavers have
every opportunity to get themselves vaccinated
with at least one jab. We will require all event attendees and personnel to be vaccinated with at least one dose by 22 November.
Subsequent to the latest health
advice, workers in primary and community health services will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to be able
to attend their workplace. This is in addition to the recent announcement around healthcare workers in public hospitals. This will now cover
all primary health facilities, such as GP clinics, allied health clinics,
pharmacies, community health centres and so on. This complements the earlier
announcement, which has received strong support from a broad cross-section of
peak bodies representing primary health and community health practitioners.
What we have to do in our healthcare sector is make sure that we continue to
protect the people who work in those clinics and the people whom they look
after, and the best way we can do that is to make sure that they are
vaccinated. Transmission in primary health and community health settings could
have major consequences for the community, including those at risk of severe
disease associated with COVID-19. Health workers in community settings work
closely with vulnerable groups, including the elderly, those with chronic
disease and those who are immunocompromised.
These vulnerable groups are at high risk of serious complications of
COVID-19. From 1 November, primary and community health workers will need to
have their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to access their workplace, bringing
it into with line tier 2 requirements in the current Health Worker
(Restrictions on Access) Directions (No 3).
I
thank all those in the healthcare sector—the facility managers but in
particular the health sector unions that have provided us with a great deal of support and facilitated an
important conversation with their members to make sure they understand
the importance of getting vaccinated—because, Madam Speaker, until we
are all safe, none of us is safe. I urge everyone to roll up for WA and get
vaccinated.
thank the member for the question. This government is extremely proud of Western
Australians for stepping up and rolling up
and getting themselves vaccinated. To date, 72.2 per cent of Western Australians have had their first dose, and more than 53 per cent are fully vaccinated. That
puts us slightly ahead of Queensland and slightly behind South Australia, but
essentially we are level-pegging with those states that are managing their
COVID-19 situations very well.
In addition, anyone wishing to attend
Western Australia's largest school leavers event in Dunsborough next
month will need to be vaccinated. The Chief Health Officer had provided advice
to the government that this precaution is
necessary to ensure a safe event for school leavers and the local community.
One thing we can be sure of is that we cannot be confident of physical
distancing at schoolies! It is appropriate that we take these steps to make
sure that we continue to protect the community. We will have pop-up clinics in
Bunbury, Dunsborough and Busselton to make sure that these school leavers have
every opportunity to get themselves vaccinated
with at least one jab. We will require all event attendees and personnel to be vaccinated with at least one dose by 22 November.
Subsequent to the latest health
advice, workers in primary and community health services will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to be able
to attend their workplace. This is in addition to the recent announcement around healthcare workers in public hospitals. This will now cover
all primary health facilities, such as GP clinics, allied health clinics,
pharmacies, community health centres and so on. This complements the earlier
announcement, which has received strong support from a broad cross-section of
peak bodies representing primary health and community health practitioners.
What we have to do in our healthcare sector is make sure that we continue to
protect the people who work in those clinics and the people whom they look
after, and the best way we can do that is to make sure that they are
vaccinated. Transmission in primary health and community health settings could
have major consequences for the community, including those at risk of severe
disease associated with COVID-19. Health workers in community settings work
closely with vulnerable groups, including the elderly, those with chronic
disease and those who are immunocompromised.
These vulnerable groups are at high risk of serious complications of
COVID-19. From 1 November, primary and community health workers will need to
have their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to access their workplace, bringing
it into with line tier 2 requirements in the current Health Worker
(Restrictions on Access) Directions (No 3).
I
thank all those in the healthcare sector—the facility managers but in
particular the health sector unions that have provided us with a great deal of support and facilitated an
important conversation with their members to make sure they understand
the importance of getting vaccinated—because, Madam Speaker, until we
are all safe, none of us is safe. I urge everyone to roll up for WA and get
vaccinated.
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