SA Health and Business SA pilot allows workers to get jabbed en masse

SA bosses can get their workers vaccinated en masse with a new “express” program – as the state nears a significant milestone.

South Australian businesses will be able to get workers Covid-19 vaccinated en masse under officials plans to stop wastage of jabs amid a rising number of no-show appointments.

SA Health, with the help of Business SA, has launched a “Wayville express” pilot program for businesses keen to get their workforces vaccinated.

Thursday also marks the 50 per cent milestone for fully vaccinated adults, while two-thirds have had one dose.

Under the scheme, large groups of workers can visit simultaneously the state’s biggest mass vaccination hub at the Wayville showgrounds.

The first business, CMV Group, had 80 of its team pre-prepare for an express trip a fortnight ago while more businesses are expected to follow in the coming weeks.

CMI Toyota workers Ben Sampson and Elena Lalic. Picture: Sarah Reed

Officials say it will fill the “vax jab gap”, as it uses jabs assigned to patients who then fail to show for their appointment.

New SA Health figures show an average 10 per cent of patients “did not arrive” for their appointments this month.

This compares with 7 per cent no-shows last month and 5.5 per cent for July and June.

SA Health officials say this is expected due to more jabs being available.

Almost 100,00 patients have cancelled their vaccinations since the rollout launched in February while at least 30,000 vaccines have been wasted.

Business SA chief executive, Martin Haese, said the state needed to explore every available option to boost rates.

He hoped the new initiative would act as the catalyst to larger workplace visits, which his members had requested for months.

“They hope they may be exempt from future lockdowns should they have high vaccination rates in their workplace,” he said.

“We all know the sooner we get to 80 per cent vaccination, the sooner we can reopen and business can begin to recover.”

Business SA boss Martin Haese. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Authorities have an 80 per cent vaccination target, likely in time for Christmas, to trigger widespread easing of bans.

Almost half of SA adults are fully vaccinated, while two thirds have had one dose.

An SA Health spokeswoman said the program helped make jabs even more accessible.

“Feedback from the first businesses to use the program has been overwhelmingly positive and we look forward to welcoming more businesses at Wayville in the coming days,” she said.

CMI Toyota group general manager, Drew Ford, said it was a “fantastic initiative”, which gave firms an ability to efficiently protect workers.

“It also allowed us to start the conversations around vaccinations with our team, which is important,” he said.

Service advisor Elena Lalic, 32, of St Clair, and assistant service manager Ben Sampson, 45, of Bellevue Heights had a Pfizer shot.

“I believe in the science, I don’t believe Bill Gates or 5G are behind it,” Mr Sampson said.

Mr Haese said there were a “solid pipeline” of major South Australian organisations about to launch workplace jabs similar to annual flu shots.

SA Health Mobile workplace clinics will visit mining, maritime, food processing and transport firms.

Mobile teams will also soon visit community clubs and events, shopping centres, markets, places of worship and sporting clubs.

New figures show more people in their 20s contracted Covid in SA, with 170 cases, followed by 153 people in their 30s.

But almost two thirds of people in their 20s are unvaccinated and more than half of those in their 30s have not had a jab.

“While the vast majority of Covid-19 cases in SA have been acquired overseas, we know just how quickly things can change,” an SA Health spokeswoman said.