COVID-19 NEWS
COVID-19 vaccine roll-out : disability provider alert
The Commonwealth ' s Department of Social Services has distributed an update on 18th February 2021 on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout to the disability sector .
Under Phase 1a of the national rollout strategy , people with disability , disability sector workers and supporters have been identified as priority populations .
Eligible vaccine recipients in the disability sector include :
• A person with disability living in residential accommodation ( in settings with two or more people with disability only ); and
• A paid worker providing support to people living in residential accommodation with two more people with disability .
Phase 1a : people with disability in residential accommodation
From Monday 22 February , a small number of sites across Australia have been identified by the Commonwealth ' s Department of Health ( DoH ) as the first locations to receive Phase 1a vaccinations . DoH will contact these initial sites and work closely with the providers .
DoH will continue to consult closely with key sector representatives to ensure the Phase 1a rollout for people with disability is safe and fit-forpurpose .
Even if you have not been contacted yet , the Commonwealth strongly recommends that all Phase 1a providers :
1 . Start having conversations to ensure everyone is informed about the priority roll-out and understands the vaccination program ; and
2 . Review the ATAGI consent pack at
bit . ly / ATAGIConsentPack and start discussions with people with disability or substitute decision makers about consent as soon as possible . Additional resources will be available soon for people with disability to support consent .
The provider update can be found at
bit . ly / ProviderUpdateNDIS and also includes information about the COVID-19 Vaccines Implementation Plan for the disability sector , and a range of FAQs have developed as a result of consultation with the sector by the Commonwealth .
South Australia ' s COVID-19 vaccination program update
SA Health has advised that the first COVID-19 vaccinations in South Australia are expected to be given to priority cohorts on Monday , 22 February at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre .
Please visit the SA Health website at
bit . ly / SAHealthSite to access FAQs about the vaccination program . SA Health ' s Q & A session , hosted by Professor Nicola Spurrier yesterday on Facebook , also provides useful information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines . You can access a recording of this event at
http :// bit . ly / SAHealthFB .
AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine granted provisional approval
The Therapeutic Goods Administration ( TGA ) has granted provisional approval to AstraZeneca Pty Ltd for its COVID-19 vaccine , making it the second COVID-19 vaccine after the Pfizer vaccine to receive regulatory approval in Australia .
The Pfizer vaccination will be administered in the initial rollout of the vaccines .
COVID-19 vaccine resources
The Australian Government Department of Health has put together a range of useful information about the vaccines that you can access on their website :
COVID-19 information in your language
The Department of Health website provides information about COVID-19 vaccines that has been translated into over 60 languages . For more info , visit :
bit . ly / InYourLanguage .
Information for people with disability
The Department of Health has compiled information for people with disability about the COVID-19 vaccines on its website at
bit . ly / CovidInfoDOH .
Advice and resources for COVID-19 vaccine providers
A collection of resources for health professionals containing advice and guidance on delivering COVID-19 vaccinations , including a consent form , will soon be available on the SA Health website at
bit . ly / SAHSite .
6 EBL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER