Keeping you informed about the COVID-19 Vaccination

As the COVID-19 vaccinations start to roll out across Australia in the coming weeks and months, it is pleasing that people with disability living in residential accommodation, workers in residential services and other people with a disability who are considered at higher risk are among the priority groups set by the Australian Government.

We will keep you informed about the Covid-19 vaccination roll out as this happens and as more information becomes available. Below are some introductory videos about the vaccination in Australia.

COVID-19 Vaccines - How Vaccines Work: Auslan (youtube.com)
COVID-19 Vaccines - Australia's COVID-19 Vaccines: Auslan (youtube.com)
COVID-19 Vaccines - Priority Rollout Animation: Auslan (youtube.com)

The Australian Government aims to have as many people vaccinated as possible in 2021. Reaching the vaccination target of 95 per cent supports herd immunity to slow down the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases. For other vaccines, when lots of people in the community are protected by immunisation, we rarely see the deadly diseases they prevent. This includes diseases such as diphtheria, measles and meningococcal disease.

It is not yet known if we can eradicate COVID-19 but this very important first step is to reduce the harm it causes and its spread in the community.
High immunisation rates also protect other vulnerable people in our community who cannot be vaccinated, such as very young children or people who are too sick.

Priority Groups:

At first, the number of COVID-19 vaccines will be limited and doses will be available to higher-risk priority groups based on advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), a team of medical experts.

1. People with disability and workers in residential services will be among the first to access the vaccine.
2. The next priority group will include some people with disability, who are at greater risk of becoming very sick with COVID-19, including:
   • People with disability aged 70 and over
   • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability
   • People with disability with underlying medical conditions such as:
     • immunocompromised,
     • multiple comorbidities,
     • chronic lung disease,
     • diabetes,
     • cardiovascular disease,
     • and severe obesity.

Other priority groups include quarantine and healthcare workers, elderly people and workers in aged care homes, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and frontline emergency workers.

Family members of people with disability are not identified as a priority group by ATAGI. However, some family members and some people with disability will be part of other priority groups and you can click on the link below to see more detail about the priority groups.

Read more about who will receive priority access to vaccines.

The COVID-19 vaccination program is ongoing and anyone in a priority group will be able to access the vaccine at any time as it is rolled out.

Consent:

For residents in group homes, Yooralla will send out more information about the consent process to receive the vaccination next week. 
If you want to understand more about the COVID-19 vaccine as the roll out commences and prior to receiving the vaccination, you can contact your GP to discuss this.

Information from The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission:

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has provided information about the COVID-19 Vaccination and the process. You can access this information in the following link:

NDIS COVID-19 Vaccine roll-out update

Staying Safe:

As the vaccination roll-out takes place it is important that we all continue to protect ourselves, our family and communities against COVID-19
We must continue to do the things that have kept us safe. These include:

• If unwell, get tested and isolate until a negative test result is received
• Follow the guidelines for wearing a mask
• Check for exposure sites and get tested if you have attended an exposure site
• practise good hygiene
• practise physical distancing
• follow the limits for public gatherings
• understand how to isolate if you need to.

For information about the vaccination in other languages you can go to:

COVID-19 Information in your Language - Australian Government Department of Health