Disability royal commission: COVID vaccine rollout an ‘abject failure’

A young Australian man living in a disability care home has begged for an end to COVID-19 vaccine “politics” so he and more than 24,000 other vulnerable people can get the jab.

A young Australian man living in a disability care home has begged for an end to COVID-19 vaccine “politics” so that he and more than 24,000 other vulnerable people can get the jab.

Only 834 people in residential disability care have received a COVID-19 vaccine, despite the group being considered the highest priority in the rollout alongside aged care residents and hotel quarantine workers.

There are about 26,000 Australians in disability aged care but as of May 6 only 707 people have received a first dose and 127 people have received two doses, the royal commission into disability care has heard.

Thousands of disability care residents are still waiting for a vaccine in Australia. Picture: Patrick T. FALLON / AFP

In a powerful statement, disabled man Uli Kaplan told the royal commission he and others were “nervous” and confused about the vaccine, but willing to take it if given the right information.

“Don‘t underestimate our intelligence, because we’re quite switched in our own way,” he said.

“Just get the vaccine to us, that’s it.

“If you want us to take it, give us the right information.”

Mr Kaplan said he wanted the government to “stop fighting” and focus on getting information about the vaccine to people in disability care, who found the rollout “extraordinarily stressful”.

Disability care resident Uli Kaplan told the royal commission he and others were "nervous" and confused about the vaccine, but willing to take it if given the right information.

“Normal people have the right to have the vaccine, we have the right to have the vaccine, but you need to understand that when you’re talking to us about this, this is stressful,” he said.

“From people being scared with needles to people feeling overwhelmed with information to people watching news outlets.”

Mr Kaplan said he had spent more than three months locked in his unit because his neighbours had COVID-19, and he just wanted the vaccine as soon as possible for his “safety”.

Mr Kaplan said he wanted the federal government to stop promising Australia would be the “best country” at responding to COVID-19 and focus on the vaccine rollout.

“What’s taking so long,” he said.

“Just give us the vaccine. Stop saying you‘re going to do it, and just work towards it, and do it.”

There are about 25,000 people in 6000 disability care facilities in Australia.

Everyone in disability care is supposed to be vaccinated by the middle of 2021. Picture: Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

Disability and aged care were both considered Phase 1A – the highest priority – for vaccination due to an increased risk of suffering a serious case of COVID-19.

Senior Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission Kate Eastman described the low numbers of people vaccinated as an “abject failure”.

In April Commonwealth health officials claimed there had been 1,640 doses administered in the disability cohort, but that included staff in what are often very small facilities.

They blamed the slower rollout on a pivot away from disability care to instead prioritise residential aged care first.

Inclusion Australia chief executive Catherine McAlpine said the reprioritisation of aged care over disability care residents was “gobsmacking” and appeared “discriminatory”.

“Particularly once we found there had been a pivot away from disability, the fact that 1B had started for a greater variety of Australians, (it seemed) there had been a deliberate choice to not put the resources … into ensuring that people with disability received the vaccination,” she said.

Ms McAlpine also criticised the lack of practical “easy read” material containing information about the vaccine for people with intellectual disabilities.

It comes as it was today revealed almost one in four vaccines available in Australia are not in people’s arms, as every state and territory, as well as GPs continue to under utilise their allocated doses.

NSW has administered 280,135 vaccines as of May 9, which is about 78 per cent of the 414,050 doses delivered for use in state-run clinics as of May 16, according to Commonwealth Health Department figures released on Monday.

Victoria is slightly behind with 77 per cent utilisation, however the state has delivered 471,040 vaccines into peoples’ arms, which is significantly more than NSW.

The Northern Territory was the worst performing with a utilisation rate of just 58 per cent, followed by Queensland with 64 per cent.

The ACT, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia all used between 79 and 90 per cent of doses, though all had significantly lower allocations based on smaller populations.

In GP clinics nationally there have been 1.7m doses administered from an available 2.6m, which is a utilisation of about 75 per cent.

Nationally on average 77 per cent of available doses have been used.

Restriction-free domestic travel is the likely next step for vaccinated Australians, but would depend on agreement from the states and territories.

Health Minister Greg Hunt has flagged the federal government would support exempting fully vaccinated people from snap state border closures.

“It will of course be a matter for national cabinet and the states,” he said.

“But the point being, something ... we would strongly support is that where there are outbreaks or issues relating to state borders, there is the potential for those that have been fully vaccinated, to be exempt from some of those restrictions.”

This week officials have cleared 351,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine and 1,003,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for distribution.

A nurse performs a COVID test at the Bondi Beach Testing Clinic. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

People over 50 can now book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at a GP or respiratory clinic anywhere in the country.

Mr Hunt defended the government’s vaccine rollout in residential disability care, despite confirming only 999 people living in those settings had received a vaccine through an “inreach” service where the vaccinations occur at their home as of Monday.

Mr Hunt said as the rollout in aged care centres came to completion, there would be a ramp up in disability care, though he also said these individuals were welcome to attend an “outreach” appointment at a normal COVID-19 vaccine clinic.

“(Vaccination) teams are being redeployed into disability, inreach, but also the disability outreach has been opened up,” he said.

The government has completed 172 first dose visits to disability homes, and 22 second dose visits, which is only a fraction of the more than 6,000 facilities across the country.