COVID-19
Service delivery updates & news relating to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus)
Please find below a summary of COVID-19 sector news stories. Click on an article to read the full story. Become a subscriber to receive this news in your email inbox each week. Register as a user to submit your own sector news story. Or expand the drop-down ‘news categories’ menu below and follow the link to view all sector news stories…
Guard against Covid this winter
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson is urging aged care services to take all reasonable precautions to protect their workforce and consumers as Covid-19 impacts increase, alongside Influenza cases, this winter. Find more information in the July...
COVID 19 Fourth Booster Shot for most vulnerable people
From Monday, 11 July an additional 7.4 million Australians became eligible to receive a fourth COVID-19 vaccination. This followed the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) updating its recommendations. ATAGI recommends people aged 50 to 64 years...
ATAGI recommendations expand for the winter COVID Booster
The COVID-19 vaccination program is targeted at preventing severe disease, by providing additional protection to those with risk factors for severe disease. On 25 March 2022, ATAGI recommended an additional winter booster dose (fourth dose for most people) for the...
Aged care emergency and crisis management training program
The recent emergency events across the country, including ongoing management of the COVID-19 pandemic and response to natural disasters, continue to highlight the importance of effective crisis management and decision making for aged care providers. Providers are...
Free rapid antigen tests for people with disability
People with disability and their carers are now eligible for free rapid antigen tests (RATs) as recently announced by the NSW Government. How to order your supply If you are a charity or non-government organisation, and registered with the Australia Charities and...
New Exemption to the Public Health (COVID -19 Care Services) Order 2022
Currently under the Public Health (COVID-19 Care Services) Order 2022, a person must have three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in order to work in a residential aged care facility (RACF) or provide in-home and community aged care services or disability services (unless a...
Preparing your service for winter- influenza vaccinations and treatments
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) statement on winter season preparedness strongly recommends that vaccination remains one of the most effective protective factors for both COVID-19 and influenza. The link below provides research and...
ATAGI recommends fourth winter COVID-19 booster
ATAGI recommends an additional booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to increase vaccine protection before winter for selected population groups who are at greatest risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and who have received their primary vaccination and first booster dose....
New COVID, inequality and poverty report
The Australia Council of Social Services has released a new report summarising the impact of the COVID-19 recession and recovery on income inequality and poverty in Australia. This report includes ABS data tracking inequality during 2020 and 2021. The data tells the...
Mandatory Covid-19 vaccine third dose for aged and disability care workers in NSW
COVID-19 vaccine third dose (booster) mandatory for aged and disability care workers in New South Wales The Government of New South Wales announced that residential, in-home and community aged care workers and disability care workers in New South Wales must receive a...
Pop-up vaccination clinic opening in Bryon Bay
Byron Bay will soon have its own pop-up Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic. It will run February 24 to March 4 at the Byron Bay Services Club. All walk-ins are welcome.
New oral antiviral COVID-19 therapies will be here soon
Two COVID-19 oral therapies will be available on the North Coast soon. The Therapeutic Goods Administration provisionally approved the Lagevrio® (molnupiravir) and Paxlovid® (nirmatrelvir + ritonavir) antiviral medications. Follow the link for further details....
Government announces $800 bonus for aged care staff
The Federal Government has announced a $210 million support package that will provide $800 bonuses to aged care workers in response to ongoing staffing pressures in the sector. The bonus will be available to all aged care staff including cleaning and catering staff....
Safest Omicron face masks revealed
Compulsory face masks are back. But some are better than others. The following link shares the key points about the benefits of each mask. Full article here. https://nationalseniors.com.au/news/latest-in-health/safest-omicron-face-masks-revealed?
RATs to replace PCR in more settings
A statement from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) on rapid antigen testing (RAT) for current high community prevalence environment can be accessed in the link below....