The ACT's peak medical body has called for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate to be expanded to all health workers in Canberra, as the territory government announced some workers will be required to be fully vaccinated by December.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said on Tuesday that vaccinations would soon be mandatory for workers with the highest risk of coming into contact with the virus.
Workers affected by the vaccine mandate would be required to have had their first dose by October 29, and their second vaccination by December 1.
The mandatory vaccination requirements will apply to staff who have the highest risk of coming into contact with people who have COVID: front-line healthcare workers in hospitals and any healthcare facility operated by Canberra Health Services, as well as those working in day hospitals, hospices, ambulance services and other patient transport.
"Healthcare workers have higher rates of potential exposure to COVID-19 as they provide care to COVID-19 patients," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
"To those who may have COVID and be unaware of it and present to healthcare settings for other reasons, vaccinating healthcare workers is the most effective way to protect them against the virus, while also reducing the transmission to patients, other staff and the wider community.
"Making vaccination mandatory in these settings is an added layer of protection for workers, patients and the community."
Ms Stephen-Smith said consultation had begun with the healthcare workforce to finalise the public health direction for the mandate.
She said the government would consider a further phased approach for mandatory vaccines in other healthcare settings in the coming weeks.
A survey of healthcare staff this month showed "more than 80 per cent" of workers were either fully or partially vaccinated. The ACT's current rate for the population over 16 is 93.8 per cent.
However, the fully vaccinated rate of 73 per cent for healthcare workers is higher than the overall ACT rate of 67.8 per cent.
Ms Stephen-Smith said workers who refused to get the vaccine could be redeployed to other areas of the territory's public service.
The ACT government has been reluctant to mandate vaccines. Chief Minister Andrew Barr last month said mandates "in and of themselves don't guarantee that you won't see infections within particular workplace settings".
The Australian Medical Association of the ACT had been critical of the fact that there were no COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare staff in the territory.
AMA ACT president Dr Walter Abhayaratna said he welcomed the announcement but he hoped the mandate would be extended to all health workers in the territory, including those in GPs and pharmacies.
"We think that it is an expectation of patients that they have got carers that are vaccinated and that they won't be spreading unnecessarily COVID to them," Dr Abhayaratna said.
"I was hoping to see that [the mandate] would be extended to all healthcare areas, including the community sector, such as GP practices.
"I would actually extend it a little bit further, I think it's important that not just the healthcare workers but the support workers in health care areas, administrative administrators, and staff as well."
