Covid vax mandate scrapped ‘too early’, Qld doctors warn

The decision to revoke vaccine mandates for private healthcare workers was done “too early”, the AMAQ warns.

The Queensland government’s decision to revoke the Covid-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in the private sector was “too early”, the peak body for the state’s doctors has warned.

Australian Medical Association Queensland chief Maria Boulton said a receptionist in a GP’s office needs to be vaccinated just as much as a receptionist in a public hospital ED.

“Healthcare workers are in contact with the most vulnerable people who need the highest levels of protection from infection possible, which is why vaccinations and boosters have been so important.

“The government says it is now time for private employers to take responsibility for their workers’ vaccination status. This leaves GPs, other private specialists, and a whole range of allied healthcare clinics without the backing of government to require their staff are fully vaccinated,” Dr Boulton said.

Debate has raged about whether health workers should be vaccinated to keep their jobs.

Chief Health Officer John Gerrard’s public health direction that mandated the Covid-19 vaccine for workers in health care settings was revoked in the private sector on Friday. But it is still a condition of employment for eligible Queensland Health staff to be vaccinated as well as workers in aged and disability care facilities.

“If the government can continue to mandate that its employees in public health settings are fully vaccinated, surely it should extend that legal protection to private employers — private hospitals, GPs, other specialists, podiatrists, physiotherapists, pharmacists – whose non-medical staff work closely with patients,” Dr Boulton said.

When announcing the mandate changes Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said that the peak of the third wave was gone and it was now up to employers to decide if they impose Covid vaccine mandates on private health care workers.

“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,” she said.

The decision to waive the vaccination requirements for private health workers came just one day after national cabinet decided to shorten the isolation period for people who test positive for Covid-19 from seven days to five.