Staff in chiropractic therapy and osteopathy require vaccine under SA directions changes

See the growing list of jobs and industries affected by tough new mandatory vaccination rules announced today.

Chiropractors and osteopaths have joined the large list of healthcare workers who need to be Covid-19 vaccinated, while those who are not double jabbed cannot enter aged-care homes from December.

Those who give person-to-person “allied and scientific professional care” in these settings join a long list of workers in the sector, who are required to have one jab of a TGA approved vaccination by December 6, and have evidence for a second under the latest SA Police Emergency Management.

Reception and nursing staff at clinics in these settings also must be vaccinated under the new directions, including anyone who attends a healthcare setting in their course of work, such as suppliers and delivery drivers.

In-home disability and aged-care support workers also need to have one jab by the end of November, under a directions update on Monday afternoon.

Those working in intensive disability support services for, or on behalf of, a provider must have one jab, as well as in-home and community aged-care workers, under the new Emergency Management Direction 2021.

In both instances, only those with a valid medical exemption or any other legitimate reason for not being vaccinated are allowed to continue work without a jab.

The move comes as SA businesses call for strict rules on Covid vaccinations to apply to any staff who have to deal with customers.

In other Covid-related news, from December 6, anyone who has not been fully vaccinated is banned from entering a residential aged-care facility, unless an exemption has been granted or visitors are under 12.

From Monday, several other sectors joined the one-jab requirement, such as pharmacies, primary community healthcare facilities, specialist outpatient facilities, private pathology and radiology centres, defence health settings, Indigenous community controlled health services and any location where the Health Department operates.

Specialist outpatient facilities include any setting where person-to-person services are provided, including art or music therapy, exercise physiology, occupational therapy, optometry, nutrition and dietetics, physiotherapy, psychology and social work, among others.

Health Minister Stephen Wade said with borders planned to open shortly, it is important to protect those most vulnerable.

“Now is the right time to increase the level of protection, as we open the borders,” he said.

“The people who are most vulnerable to Covid-19 are people comorbidities and many older south australians in residential aged-care facilities have comorbidities.”

The state’s hard borders with NSW, Victoria and ACT, as well as international travel, will be lifted on November 23 – when the key 80 per cent vaccination target is now forecast to be hit.

Most Covid-19 restrictions will likely lift by Christmas, as authorities unveil our roadmap out of the pandemic.