Embattled Federal Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Senator Richard Colbeck, said every aged care facility has been given “a date or a two-week window within which they will receive their vaccination”.
Fewer than one-third of aged care facilities have administered both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to their residents eight weeks into the program, Leading Age Services Australia CEO Sean Rooney said this month.
The Department of Health sent the information to providers on Tuesday evening.
“Each of them has a date or a two-week window within which they will receive their vaccination. We are working with a few of them who want to change those dates around to allow for flu vaccinations which have been scheduled. But each facility has been provided either a date or a two-week window within which they will receive their vaccination,” Senator Colbeck told ABC Radio National.
Federal Government’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has fallen drastically behind schedule. We reported on 4 March only 150 of the 240 homes set for first week jabs started their vaccinations by the goal date of February 28.
On 27 April, the Health Department’s Vaccine Operations Centre (VOC) said 210,770 vaccine doses have been administered in aged and disability facilities, with 5,567 in the past 24 hours.
Last week, more than 356,000 doses were administered, compared to 330,000 the week before, with 1,937,300 total doses of vaccine now administered through a variety of mechanisms, including more than 1 million doses through the Primary Care network.
“The priority for in-reach service providers is vaccinating our most vulnerable Australians, and in particular, vaccinating Aged Care Residents in more than 2500 RACFs across the country, and disability residents with complex needs who require in-reach services,” said VOC.
Senator Colbeck is still unable to say when the vaccination of aged care home facilities will be complete.
