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Vaccine rollout in disarray
Aged care left in the dark amid confusion and limited supply .
By Conor Burke
The nation ’ s COVID-19 vaccination rollout has become more complicated in the past month after questions were raised about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine .
After reports of a possible link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots were raised by the EU regulator and the UK announced it would offer under 30s an alternative vaccine as a result , Prime Minister Scott Morrison advised under 50s in Australia to consider another option . This was followed by an announcement that the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in NSW would be paused .
However , this is only the newest in a long line of problems with the government ’ s plan that includes issues with government booking websites , GPs and the procurement of vaccines . And every move the government makes is coloured by the huge self-imposed number of vaccinated Australians promised by Morrison , which has been spectacularly missed by some 3.6 million people .
As of April 8 , there have been 869,245 people vaccinated . All up approximately 3.38 per cent of the population have received one dose of a vaccine .
In aged care – a phase 1A priority and the population most affected by the virus in Australia – providers initially struggled to get the vaccine and have subsequently struggled to get the second dose .
Shane Neaves , CEO of Peninsula Villages aged care , says that getting his staff and residents vaccinated has been difficult from the beginning . He was first contacted by contractor HCA who told him they would be administering the Pfizer vaccine at his home .
“ We had a couple of false starts , so we got organised and they didn ’ t arrive on the days they were planned to come but then we got the first round done very nicely . I think 324 people , both residents and staff , done ,” he told Aged Care Insite .
“ Then they needed to come back within 21 days and I was told on day one that , ‘ Sorry , we ’ re only going to have enough for 306 [ vaccinations ]’.
“ For three days , I was jumping up and down trying to get another 18 doses delivered and I failed . I then caused more trouble with radio , the media and the [ health ] department and , in the end , we got the other 18 done .”
Although Neaves says most of the residents are now vaccinated , he has new residents entering the home who are wondering when they will get their injections . There ’ s also the matter of another 270 staff members who are without the vaccine .
Information and transparency has been a sticking point for Neaves . He is left largely in the dark and therefore cannot properly plan or at the very least inform residents and staff of what is going on .
“ The only information I get is from the media ,” he says .
“ The prime minister came in and said , ‘ Aged care workers , aged care residents , we ’ re going to categorise you as 1A so you ’ re the priority .’ But now we ’ re starting to do 1Bs without all the 1As being done .”
In South Australia , aged care workers at two Southern Cross Care ( SA ) aged care facilities say they have similarly been left in limbo .
After receiving their first Pfizer dose , and with time ticking on the 21 day limit for their second , some workers have even been told to go to their GP or local hospital in search of their second shots .
Carolyn Smith , director of aged care at United Workers Union , says that workers were told they would be a vaccine priority , now some are missing out altogether .
“ Others have been served up vaccine ‘ leftovers ’ for their first jab , and they can ’ t even get their second jab on-site ,” Smith says .
“ Even worse , when they try to find out where to go , they get the runaround and they are left in vaccine limbo .
“ Workers are being left without vaccinations or partially vaccinated , with no advice about the path forward .
“ It ’ s just another example where the Federal Government is failing to keep older Australians safe in aged care .”
Donna , an aged care worker and union member who works at the Southern Cross Care ( SA ) Pines and Bucklands facilities , says that she hasn ’ t been able to get any clear advice on what to do about getting her vaccine . She has now missed out on the jab on a couple of occasions due to stock running out .
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agedcareinsite . com . au 3