CANBERRA, Sept 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Australia’s peak medical body, slammed the Australian Capital Territory’s refusal to mandate vaccines for healthcare workers.
Andrew Barr, the chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory, yesterday ruled out making vaccination against COVID-19 compulsory, for all healthcare workers, saying, doing so would not “guarantee you won’t see infections within workplace settings.”
In response, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) in the Australian Capital Territory said, Barr’s comments “do not indicate he’s aware of reduced risk of COVID infections and reduced transmission of COVID, for those who are vaccinated from a mandate.”
“The mandate means that, if you’re a hospital worker, patients have an additional layer of protection,” Walter Abhayaratna, the president of the Australian Capital Territory AMA, was quoted by Nine Entertainment newspapers today.– NNN-AGENCIES
“They are more vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19 and we shouldn’t have patients in that situation because they are in a hospital.”
The AMA has repeatedly called for the federal government to introduce a national vaccine mandate for healthcare workers but the decision has instead been left to the states and territories.
Australia reported over 1,800 new locally-acquired cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, including 1,007 from New South Wales and 847 from Victoria.
The Australian Capital Territory recorded 32 new cases, its equal-most on any day during the pandemic. The new cases included 10 linked to the Calvary Haydon Retirement Community.
