The Department of Health will soon release an Implementation Plan for the roll-out of the vaccine to people with disability and disability workers.
Key points
- The Australian Government Department of Health (DoH) is consulting with state and territory governments, and stakeholders in the disability sector to inform the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine for people with disability and disability workers.
- A Disability Sector COVID-19 Vaccines Implementation Plan will soon be released, detailing important issues about the rollout.
- The NDIS Commission is supporting the Department of Social Services (DSS) and DoH by helping to communicate important information about the vaccine to NDIS providers and workers.
Roll-out of the vaccination program
COVID-19 vaccines will be made available for free to everyone living in Australia. The Department of Health COVID-19 Vaccines webpage links to important information about the vaccine and will be updated regularly. Safe Work Australia also provides key information about COVID-19 in relation to workplaces.
Australia’s COVID-19 vaccines become available in phases, with priority groups receiving the first doses. Priority groups are identified using public health, medical and epidemiological evidence on who would be most affected if they contracted COVID-19, and those most likely to be exposed.
- In Phase 1a, amongst other priority groups, people with disability living in residential support settings and staff working in these residential support settings will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
- In Phase 1b, younger adults with an underlying medical condition, including those with a disability, and other health care workers will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
COVID-19 Vaccines Implementation Plan for the disability sector
The Commonwealth Department of Health will soon release the Disability Sector COVID-19 Vaccines Implementation Plan. The plan has been developed in consultation with key stakeholders representing people with disability and the disability sector. It will detail the disability sector-specific considerations including the communication and coordination of the vaccination program, and consent.
The NDIS Commission will share the Implementation Plan and any other important information about the disability sector as soon as it becomes available.
This will include frequently asked questions that have come up through the consultation the Department of Health has undertaken with organisations representing the interests of people with disability and industry bodies.
Implementation plans are also under development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Australians.
Planning and preparedness
The imminent roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine complements other measures that NDIS providers are required to implement to keep NDIS participants safe.
Providers should review their emergency and business continuity plans and ensure workers have been trained and have had refreshers on infection control and use of PPE.
Refer to our fact sheet on outbreak preparedness for more information.
Further information, alerts and resources
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) information webpage on the NDIS Commission website contains links to updates, training, alerts and other resources.
We also have a COVID-19 webpage containing information for people with disability, and a webpage of frequently asked questions about COVID-19 for all stakeholders.
NDIS participants can also obtain information from the dedicated COVID-19 webpage for participants, which has been published by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).