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Institutions should consider becoming vaccination hubs themselves for staff , students and their local communities .
No jab , no study
Will we see compulsory vaccination in Australian higher education ?
By Don Perlgut
Is compulsory vaccination coming to the Australian post-secondary sector ? Yes , in some circumstances , given that it ’ s already here .
Strategies to “ live with COVID ” ( I use that phrase reluctantly ) will need to be built on a solid foundation of extremely high vaccination rates , complemented by a set of complex management strategies .
Australia ’ s National Cabinet has already agreed that “ COVID-19 vaccinations are to be mandated for residential aged care workers as a condition of working in an aged care facility through shared state , territory and Commonwealth authorities and compliance measures .” This includes “ students on placement ”, for whom COVID-19 vaccination will be mandatory , according to the Commonwealth Department of Health .
INTERNATIONAL COVID-19 VACCINATION MANDATES
Big news are the recent requirements for compulsory vaccination happening overseas : In the US , the Biden Administration has announced that it will require vaccination of all federal employees , or require masking , social distancing and testing of the unvaccinated . The Biden administration also plans to require all foreign travellers to the US to be vaccinated , and the list of companies requiring staff vaccinations is growing .
In France , COVID-19 vaccinations are now mandatory for health workers as well as for “ visitors heading to museums , cinemas or swimming pools , large-scale festivals , clubs , and soon restaurants , bars and long-distance train and plane journeys .” Italy will soon follow . British nightclubs and other venues with large crowds will require patrons to present proof of full vaccination from the end of September . Greece will soon allow only vaccinated customers indoors in bars , cinemas , theatres and other closed spaces .
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES REQUIRE VACCINATION
Numerous American universities and colleges have made vaccinations mandatory for staff and students , with the approaching northern autumn semester . The latest count of US colleges and universities which require vaccinations runs more to than 600 .
In Britain , “ university students will have to be fully vaccinated to attend lectures or stay in halls of residence under plans being pushed by Boris Johnson ,” reports The Times . In Canada , a number of universities require vaccination , although mandates are subject to vigorous debate .
AUSTRALIAN VACCINATION Australia is fortunate in that our population hardcore “ vaccine hesitancy ” ( or resistance ) is dropping , sitting at 11 per cent , according to the Essential Report , a figure that should allow Australia to reach its 80 per cent-plus vaccination target . One Australian company – SPC foods – has mandated vaccinations for workers from November , which Qantas has also foreshadowed .
WHAT CAN AUSTRALIAN POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS DO NOW ?
If your institution has not already begun planning its approach to “ living with COVID-19 ”, it ’ s essential to start now . This means encouraging staff and students to get vaccinated as soon as possible – providing clear leadership like the American Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ) has done , along with education , consistent messaging along with credible messengers , time off and even financial incentives . Given that many Australian universities already provide on-campus flu shots , institutions should consider becoming vaccination hubs themselves for staff , students – and their local communities .
For educational institutions , it ’ s not just vaccination : modifications to classrooms and training environments will be essential , with improved ventilation . Strong promotion of better ventilation – to prevent both COVID spread , as well as all other respiratory illnesses – is now being made by the NSW Government , Safework Australia , the US CDC , the US Department of Education , the World Health Organization , and the US Environment Protection Agency ( EPA ). The US Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security estimates an expenditure of about US $ 6,000 per school classroom “ for upgrades to relatively modern systems that are not fully up to code ” and US $ 30,000 for older classrooms , for installing or improving heating , ventilation and air conditioning ( HVAC ) systems .
In June , Community Colleges Australia announced its support for a national COVID-19 vaccination awareness campaign , in a statement that notes , “ vaccination is one of Australia ’ s top national priorities , to ensure the health and future prosperity of the nation ”. Recent events have only underlined this importance . ■
Don Perlgut is CEO of Community Colleges Australia .
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