SA to rollout Pfizer Covid-19 vaccinations for all SA aged-care staff, regardless of age

All aged-care staff are eligible for a Pfizer jab regardless of age from today, as Prof Spurrier clarifies her “don’t touch that ball” comments about the footy.

A two-year-old boy taken to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital “very unwell” with Covid-19 has recovered enough to be discharged and is now with his family at the Tom’s Court Hotel.

The child had arrived from overseas with his family and tested positive in a medi-hotel on Thursday, but his family tested negative.

As the boy was under 12 and did not need to wear a mask on the flight, SA chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said “we are a little bit anxious about that particular flight and we will be implementing additional tests for people on that flight”.

A man in his 60s who was a confirmed case on Wednesday is in the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a stable condition, while another case from Wednesday which was an old infection has been removed from the state total which now stands at 760 as it was found to be recorded overseas.

Prof Spurrier revealed the case at a press conference to announce all aged-care workers in SA are now eligible for a Pfizer jab regardless of age.

Those workers aged over 50 can now get the Pfizer jab through SA’s vaccination clinics rather than wait for the commonwealth rollout.

It means any aged-care workers can be fully vaccinated within three weeks.

Just 10 per cent of staff in SA residential aged-care homes were fully immunised against Covid-19 by mid-May, SA Health figures show, which Premier Steven Marshall said was “way too low”.

About 20 per cent of staff had received their first dose.

As Mr Marshall backed a controversial decision to allow Collingwood into SA to play the Crows and skip 14 days of quarantine, Prof Spurrier also laughed off her “don’t touch that ball” comments.

Saying her “natural inclination” when a ball came to her was to duck, Prof Spurrier said she hadn’t known large numbers of fans tried to mark the ball if it was kicked into the crowd.

She said touching the ball was okay, but recommended anyone sanitise their hands if they did so, especially after “sweaty men” had handled it – something she’d say before and after Covid.

“Regardless of Covid, this ball has been touched by many sweaty men on the field. Sanitise your hands before you start eating your chips,” she said.

“We would not allow the football here if we didn’t think it was safe.”

The first two rows of Adelaide Oval will be kept empty for the Adelaide-Collingwood match.

Announcing the Covid jab for aged-care staff, Mr Marshall said the state government would no longer wait for the federal government – which has control of the rollout – to vaccinate aged-care staff.

“Previously, the federal government took total responsibility for those people both living and working in residential aged-care facilities, as of today, we’re making it available for people working in those facilities to come to one of our clinics and have the Pfizer jab.”

It includes clinical, administrative and support staff.

Premier Steven Marshall at the Wayville Covid-19 vaccination clinic last month. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

The Premier said Pfizer was chosen because it allowed for a three-week gap between jabs.

“We’re going to do whatever we can to protect South Australia and vaccination is the frontline,” Mr Marshall said.

Defending the SA Health decision to allow Collingwood to fly in and out from Victoria on Saturday, he said clinicians had made the decision and not politicians.

“We’re listened to the experts, to evidence, to science since day one … they do the risk assessment,” he said.

“When there’s been political overlay in some of these crucial decisions it hasn’t gone well. Victoria is getting on top of this, and that’s why this exemption was granted.”

Mr Marshall said the state government was going ahead with vaccinations because it needed to keep South Australians safe.

“There’s a shared responsibility between the Commonwealth and the state, and where we’ve got excess capacity, we don’t care whose responsibility it is.”

Prof Spurrier said many people who work in residential aged care were 50 years and over, and with the change of clinical advice in April, that age group was now recommended to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, which required a 12-week interval between doses.

The Pfizer vaccine required a three-week interval between doses, allowing people to be fully vaccinated quicker, Prof Spurrier said.

People who have already had an AstraZeneca jab will need to get another AstraZeneca vaccination.

Residential aged-care workers under 50 years can book their vaccination online at covidvaccine.sa.gov.au while those over 50 can book by calling 1800 253 787.

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