The Not For Profit provider has criticised the Federal Government’s map of vaccination rates at aged care facilities, saying it is not accurate.
Despite vaccination rates across its facilities in Sydney, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, Illawarra, Shoalhaven and NSW’s Northern Inland, standing at an average 89% and more in-reach vaccination clinics taking place, the provider says this is not represented on the map.
As we reported above, the Commonwealth Department of Health on Sunday released its first-ever map of aged care facilities showing staff vaccine rates as the 17 September deadline for mandatory vaccination approaches.
The map showed, as major media pointed out, that only a third of aged care workers at Newmarch House in Kingswood, 52km west of Sydney’s CBD, have had a COVID-19 vaccine, despite the facility suffering 19 deaths at the start of the pandemic.
Aaron Malouf, Head Of Corporate Communications at Anglicare Sydney, said the government is not providing up-to-date information.
“88.14% of workers at Newmarch House have had their first dose of the vaccine. Lemongrove Gardens in Penrith is at 98%. We have put the information in to the Government portal, as requested, and the clock is still ticking. They are not providing the correct information,” he said.
Mr Malouf said over the past three weeks, the provider has been running in-reach vaccination clinics. It also ran vaccinations over a weekend.
He said the organisation was now assessing how many workers would be medically exempt.
“We want to fall in line with Government policy and vaccinate the maximum amount of workers,” he said.
