Side-effect concern driving vaccine reluctance

NDIS workers call for priority access to the Pfizer vaccine as they express concern about AstraZeneca side effects.

Natalie Lang, secretary of the ASU’s NSW & ACT branch said the federal government had a responsibility to keep disability workers safe. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Disability support workers have called for priority access to the Pfizer vaccine as new research shows concerns about potential side-effects from the AstraZeneca vaccine has driven their reluctance to get jabbed.

An Australian Services Union survey of 1000 disability support workers in NSW found 19 per cent were fully vaccinated, 25 per cent had their first dose, and 20 per cent had booked their first appointment or were planning to book.

Of the 419 workers who answered the question asking why they were not yet vaccinated, 229 expressed concern about “serious” side-effects such as blood clots and 107 said they were not sure if the vaccine was effective.

About 20 per cent said they were worried about side-effects on fertility, pregnancy and breastfeeding while 75 workers were worried about having to take time off work due to side-effects of the vaccine.

Natalie Lang, secretary of the ASU’s NSW & ACT branch said workers in the disability sector did some of the most challenging jobs in Australia so the federal government had a responsibility to help them remain safe.

Concerns over side-effects were hardly surprising “ … given the mixed messaging we’ve heard from government this year,” Ms Lang said.

“The other key driver is concern about the impact on pay – workers are worried about taking time out to be vaccinated and they’re worried about not working if they feel sick afterwards. These are people who often don’t have any leave entitlements to dip into, and constantly need to assess their day-to-day budgets.”

She said the union did not support mandatory vaccination of disability support workers.

“People who received disability services have the right, under the NDIS, to insist on support workers who have been vaccinated. So there’s already that safeguard built into the system,” Ms Lang said.

In a letter to the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Linda Reynolds, Ms Lang called on the government to prioritise access to Pfizer and provide paid vaccine leave.

“If they make the Pfizer vaccine available to all disability support workers, and prioritise them in as many locations as possible – workplaces, GP clinics, pharmacies, hospitals – that will mitigate the concerns many have about AstraZeneca and ensure workers are vaccinated as soon as possible, with only three weeks needed for full vaccination,” Ms Lang said.

The ASU said paid vaccine leave should be extended to all disability workers to allow them to receive the vaccine in paid work time. “Disability workers should not have to choose between shifts and being vaccinated,” Ms Lang said.

To encourage vaccine take-up in the sector, the ASU said an extra paid leave day should be provided to NDIS workers, including casuals, vaccinated by the end of the year.