THE chief of Maroba says the "horse has bolted" with the vaccine rollout in aged care in Victoria, and they are "running out with a lasso" by mandating it now.
The COVID-19 outbreak affecting aged care facilities in Melbourne has prompted Maroba chief Viv Allanson to pen an impassioned plea to aged care staff holding back on getting the jab to "reconsider". She said the entire nation should be "sitting up and taking notice" of what was happening in Victoria, where the latest COVID-19 outbreak had again leaked into aged care facilities.
Health Minister Greg Hunt told the press that 74 Victorian facilities were still to be vaccinated prior to the Melbourne lockdown on Thursday.
More than 650 people died from coronavirus in aged care last year.
"It could be our state, our town and our aged care facility," Ms Allanson said. "I'm urging people who have chosen not to get vaccinated to change their mind."
Ms Allanson said she understood that all residents in aged care facilities in the Hunter had now been offered the vaccine, and that all aged care workers who wanted it, had received at least the first dose.
She was concerned about levels of vaccine hesitancy within the wider aged care workforce, but feared the sector would lose staff should it be mandated.
"We are already on our knees," she said. "Making it mandatory will put a lot of people offside. The government missed its opportunity back in February, when they announced they would provide vaccinations for residents and staff in aged care facilities as a priority 1a and they had it in their hand," she said. "They failed on their promise, and it all went south from there.
"People lost confidence, then there was the AstraZeneca news, and people lost more confidence, then there was the failure to deliver the vaccine. I'm acknowledging people will have lost confidence in the government, but to not let that make the decision for them."
Angela Raguz, of HammondCare, said their overall resident vaccination rate was 86 per cent at their Waratah, Cardiff and Scone services.
"This climbs to 91 per cent if we take out legitimate reasons - palliative or new residents - for non-vaccination," she said. "All staff... have been advised to organise a COVID-19 vaccination and we have assisted with information on vaccination locations."
While they "strongly encouraged" their staff, residents and their families be vaccinated, they did not support a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination program for aged care either.
"Very few staff have rejected the idea of having the vaccine, but making it mandatory will increase the 'rebellion' effect."
