Research suggests [1] The risk of serious illness from COVID-19 increases with age and regular vaccination is the best protection from severe illness, hospitalisation, or death from COVID-19, particularly for people aged 65 years and over.
Residential aged care providers play an important role in ensuring vaccines are available to residents and the Australian Government is working with the aged care sector to ensure everyone has access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) is supporting residential aged care homes (RACHs) to arrange COVID-19 vaccinations with local GPs and pharmacists.
The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (DHAC) vaccine advice and recommendations for 2024:
- A COVID-19 vaccine booster is recommended for people aged 75 years and older – every 6 months.
- People aged 65 to 74 years, and adults with severe immunocompromise should receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster every 12 months, and can consider a dose every 6 months, based on their individual health needs.
COVID-19 vaccines can be administered at the same time as the annual influenza vaccine to provide protection against both diseases.
WAPHA is undertaking a range of activities to support the increased uptake and accessibility of COVID-19 vaccinations for RACH residents, including:
- Supporting RACHs to access immunisers if they don’t have currently have access to one.
- Actively encouraging co-administration of vaccinations that may be due within
- Managing the newly launched COVID-19 Primary Care Vaccination Support Program which aims to increase the availability of COVID-19 immunisers in RACHs through additional targeted supplementary funding.
For RACHs with COVID-19 vaccination rates under 30%, we have embarked on an engagement program to better understand their challenges and support them to increase vaccination uptake.
Some of the key challenges we have been made aware of in residential aged care settings relate to obtaining consent, co-administration of vaccinations and the ability to administer COVID-19 vaccinations following a past infection.
The below information from DHAC may be helpful to share with aged care residents, their families, and carers to clarify current advice for COVID-19 vaccinations.
- COVID-19 vaccine advice and recommendations for 2024
- Co-administration with other vaccines
- Consent for COVID-19 vaccination for older people – Factsheet
- Planning checklist for COVID-19 vaccination clinics at residential aged care homes
- Oral treatments for COVID-19
WAPHA is also encouraging RACHs to promote our COVID-19 Primary Care Vaccination Support Program to their resident health care professionals who can administer COVID-19 vaccines.
WAPHA is working with RACHs, practices, GPs, and pharmacists to increase access to COVID-19 vaccinations and integrate within RACH care plans.
This combined effort between agencies and health care professionals involved in the care of residents in aged care aims to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in Western Australia.
For further information on residential aged care COVID-19 vaccinations and in-reach support, please see our webpage or please email queries to racfvaccination@wapha.org.au