Covid Qld: Some health workers no longer need to be vaccinated

Vaccination requirements will be revoked for workers in some healthcare settings from Friday, but remain for others.

Workers in Queensland’s private hospitals and GP clinics no longer need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 under state government laws.

But while the chief health officer has revoked vaccination requirements for workers in some healthcare settings from Friday, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath confirmed public hospital workers and employees across all aged care and disability care facilities would still need to be jabbed.

The decision to loosen the vaccination requirements for some health workers comes a day after national cabinet opted to shorten the isolation period for people who test positive for Covid-19 from seven days to five.

Ms D’Ath said Queensland was in a new stage of the pandemic, and the way it dealt with it needed to shift.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath yesterday. Picture: Dan Peled/NCA NewsWire

“Our chief health officer, Dr John Gerrard, warned recently that a fourth wave in December is possible. However, it is clear that we are in a new stage of the pandemic,” she said.

“Given that we will be living with this virus for years to come, we need to transition away from managing via chief health officer public health directions unless it is absolutely necessary.”

But private health workers will still need to abide by the rules of their employers, with Ms D’Ath signalling a majority of providers had already put in place vaccination requirements rather than rely on public health directions.

“With the peak of the third wave behind us, it’s now up to employers to decide if they impose Covid vaccine mandates on private healthcare workers,” she said.

“With 93 per cent of Queenslanders double vaccinated and the most recent peak having passed, now is the right time to transition responsibilities for managing the vaccination requirements of workers in private hospitals, primary care and private allied health to those employers.”