Mandates requiring healthcare workers in NSW to receive two doses of a Covid vaccine will be scrapped this week.
In March, NSW Health said it was reviewing the rule and it has now been revealed it will be removed for existing staff and new recruits from Thursday.
The rule was introduced in August 2021 and about six months later NSW Health said 995 staff had resigned or been made redundant because of the policy.
Former paramedic and campaigner against the mandate John Larter received a letter from NSW Health lawyers who had written to his legal team to inform him of the change.
“This symbolizes that NSW Health has recognized that they can no longer maintain their position due to the overwhelming evidence that mandatory vaccination was an abuse of power,” Mr Larter told us. Ben Fordham Live from 2GB.
Mandates requiring healthcare workers in NSW to receive two doses of a Covid vaccine will be scrapped this week (stock image)
Former paramedic John Larter (pictured), who previously challenged NSW Health’s vaccine mandate in court, revealed this week the department is scrapping the mandate
“It was completely disproportionate and unreasonable to lay off frontline workers, which had a negative impact on healthcare workers, patient care and outcomes,” he said.
“Let’s hope that all those laid-off employees are reinstated and compensated.”
Queensland and Western Australia have scrapped their Covid vaccine requirements for healthcare workers in 2023.
NSW and some other states already require healthcare or aged care staff to receive flu vaccines every year.
Mr Larter had previously taken legal action against the mandates, taking NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard to the Supreme Court in 2021.
The devout Catholic argued that the laws were invalid and that they prevented residents from conscientiously objecting to the vaccine on religious grounds.
Mr Larter said he did not receive the AstraZeneca vaccine because he believed it came from the cells of aborted fetuses.
He lost his lawsuit after Judge Christine Adamson dismissed his case.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said NSW Health will continue to strongly recommend all its employees stay up to date with their vaccinations, in line with advice for the wider community.
‘While the latest evidence shows that most people have now developed protection against severe disease as a result of vaccination and/or previous infections, Covid remains a serious public health problem,’ Dr Chant said.
NSW Health introduced the rule in August 2021, requiring all employees to receive two doses of the Covid vaccine (pictured)
A recent study found vaccines prevented thousands of deaths in NSW when the Omicron wave hit
‘Covid vaccination continues to provide strong protection against severe disease, especially for people at higher risk of severe illness and death from Covid, including older adults and people with underlying health conditions.’
The latest advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) recommends a Covid vaccination every six months for all adults aged 75 and over.
A Covid vaccination every 12 months for adults aged 65 – 74 is also recommended, and adults aged 18 – 64 who are severely immunocompromised should consider a vaccination every six months.
An annual Covid vaccination should be considered for all other adults aged 18 to 64, and for those aged 5 to 18 who are severely immunocompromised.
Covid vaccines prevented almost 18,000 deaths among people over 50 in NSW when the Omicron strain struck, a study has found.
A joint research team from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and Monash University looked at Australia’s vaccination campaign to understand what would have happened if NSW’s rollout had been different.
The team used computer simulations to discover how vaccinations and boosters affected the Omicron wave between August 2021 and July 2022.