Dear Approved Provider

Thank you for the leadership demonstrated throughout 2021 in supporting consumers and staff at your services to be vaccinated against COVID-19. As restrictions ease and jurisdictions increasingly open up, the risk of community transmission – and therefore transmission in aged care settings – remains.

On 8 November 2021, the Australian Government’s national rollout of the COVID-19 booster program in residential aged care began. All residential aged care service will be offered a booster clinic as part of the Commonwealth vaccination program. Information about the booster clinics has been provided to you by Dr James Hart from the National COVID Vaccine Taskforce (refer attached copy of correspondence).

Noting the strong international evidence in favour of a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) strongly supports booster vaccination as an important step in ensuring a high level of protection against the worst effects of COVID-19 among consumers and staff.

The in-reach booster clinic to be made available to your residential service(s) will offer a booster dose to all residents and workers who received their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago. Equally importantly, the clinic will also offer first or second doses for residents or workers who have not yet received this, and a third dose for anyone medically assessed as being severely immunocompromised.

Read more:

Commissioner to approved providers COVID-19 booster vaccine advice – 19 November 2021 (.pdf)