Published 6 October 2021
AHPA have released a position statement regarding COVID-19 Vaccinations. See below for further details or download a PDF copy.
The allied health workforce is highly trained to provide safe, evidence-based care. As a sector we work across the entire health system and beyond, from tertiary settings through to primary, community and home care.
AHPA is an active member of various national advisory committees informing the response to COVID-19. We understand the importance of preventing severe disease and mortality in vulnerable populations such as the frail elderly, people living with a disability, First Nations communities and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities. Many allied health professionals are also on the frontline and at risk of contracting the virus themselves.
AHPA strongly endorses the national COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign. We support COVID-19 vaccination for all healthcare practitioners and believe all allied health practitioners should be vaccinated for their own protection, and for the protection of the healthcare, aged care and disability systems more broadly.
AHPA supports the evidence-based advice of various expert bodies overseeing the vaccine strategy. We also support the statement by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee concerning vaccinations for healthcare workers and consistency across jurisdictions to reduce the burden on those at border boundaries and the confusion caused by differing regimes and levels of restrictions.[1]
The National Boards strongly encourage all registered health practitioners to have the full COVID-19 vaccination course as scheduled unless medically contraindicated. This is consistent with the National Boards’ expectations, as set out in the codes of conduct or their equivalent, that practitioners have a responsibility to participate in efforts to promote the health of communities and meet obligations with respect to disease prevention including vaccination, health screening and the reporting of notifiable diseases.[2] Self-regulating professions are held to similar high standards.
We are pleased that a significant number of allied health professions are now eligible to administer COVID-19 vaccines, and we thank the many who have already responded by working in testing facilities and in treating patients with the virus.
[1] https://www.health.gov.au/news/australian-health-protection-principal-committee-ahppc-statement-on-mandatory-vaccination-of-all-workers-in-health-care-settings
[2] COVID-19 vaccination position statement (90 KB, PDF), Word version (246 KB, DOCX)
Published 9 March 2021. Accessed 5 October 2021