Catholic Health Australia, the peak advisory body for not-for-profit hospitals and aged care, has welcomed news the ACT Government will require most workers in its health care system to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

CHA, which is a national body, has been calling for the mandatory vaccination of the Australian health workforce since mid-July.

This week. the ACT said its Chief Health Officer would sign a public health direction covering staff in any health care facility operated by Canberra Health Services, or in any hospital or hospice, as well as ambulance services or other patient transport.

Most workers in these settings need to have one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by October 29, and to be fully vaccinated by the start of December.

“The high transmissibility of the Delta variant of COVID makes all Australian hospitals, including the ACT’s, extremely vulnerable and we need vaccination rates as high as they can possibly go,” said CHA Health CEO Pat Garcia.

“The ACT has been relatively fortunate to date in terms of Delta but once the Territory opens up and cases rise that can and is most likely to change.

“A blanket public health order by the ACT Government will take the decision-making out of the hands of operators – it’s a safer and more thorough approach.

“The majority of staff working in the Catholic sector have been vaccinated, of course, but a government mandate would give a nudge to the few remaining staff who are unvaccinated.”

CHA is Australia’s largest non-government grouping of health and aged care services accounting for approximately 10 per cent of hospital-based healthcare in Australia. CHA members also provide around 25 per cent of private hospital care, 5 per cent of public hospital care, 12 per cent of aged care facilities, and 20 per cent of home care and support for the elderly.

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