Disability support services are increasingly turning to private vaccine providers to get employees inoculated, with fears the virus could tear through the unmandated industry.
Belconnen based QuestCare paid staff to attend appointments at their popup hub this week, with 80 people booked in to receive the vaccine on Friday.
Extending the invitation to neighbouring businesses, the rush to vaccinate followed the revelation last week at least 44 cases of coronavirus had been linked to the disability sector in this outbreak. Of the cases, 34 were support workers and allied health professionals and 10 were people with a disability.
Aspen Medical has been responsible for much of the rollout, hired to deliver more than 11,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to residents and staff within ACT disability support services and aged care.
The Commonwealth's contract with Aspen Medical to provide vaccines in federally funded aged care facilities began in February and included the staff and residents of Calvary Haydon Retirement Community, where an outbreak was reported this week.
A spokesperson for Aspen Medical said it had completed its allocation of aged care facilities in April.
"To date, over 95 per cent of aged care residents in the ACT are double vaccinated, whilst over 97 per cent of aged care staff in the ACT have received at least one dose," the spokesperson said. "We continue to maintain a vaccination hub at St Andrew's Village in Hughes for aged care staff and disability workers."
Two cases of coronavirus linked to the Canberra Calvary Care retirement community were reported on Friday, with health authorities warning that number would grow.
ACT chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said health authorities had been notified of several additional cases which would be counted in Saturday's COVID update.
"I absolutely understand that this may be distressing news for the families and residents at the facility," Dr Coleman said. "We are working very, very closely with Calvary who are communicating directly with residents and their families."
The Calvary Haydon facility has been closed to visitors and residents have been confined to their rooms. The outbreak was believed to have begun after a staff member attended the facility while infected.
Both staff members reported as COVID positive on Friday were fully vaccinated.
Despite a call from professional bodies to extend the vaccination mandate from aged care, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr indicated a mandate for disability staff was unlikely.
"The evidence would appear that fully vaccinated people, both staff and residents, can catch the virus and get infected," he said.
"What we will see play out in those individuals is, hopefully, that the vaccines protect them from serious illness.
"Mandates in and of themselves don't guarantee that you won't see infections within particular workplace settings."
