COVID-19 Meeting Communique (21-03-22)

Community Services Industry Communique: COVID-19 Recovery 21 March 2022

Table of Contents

TasCOSS Contacts ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.

John Harkin (COVID-19 Recovery Team Update) ................................................................................................................................... 1

2.

Brad Wheeler (Vaccination Update) ............................................................................................................................................................ 2

3.

Louise Giolitto (WACOSS Presentation) ...................................................................................................................................................... 2

4. Tasmanian Department of Health Update (Simon Roberts & Kim Ford, Public Health and COVID-19 Emergency Coordination Centre Update) ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

TasCOSS Contacts

Please contact us as issues arise: we can assist you to contact the person in the Tasmanian Government or elsewhere that can help or connect you to other community service organisations that are working together on similar issues.

• Adrienne Picone, Chief Executive Officer, adrienne@tascoss.org.au, (03) 6231 0755 • Simone Zell, Manager Community Services Industry Development, simone@tascoss.org.au, 0400 600 814 • All TasCOSS staff member contacts The next Community Services Industry COVID-19 Recovery Statewide Meeting will be held on Monday 4 April 2022 from 11am-12:30pm. You can join the meeting via Microsoft Teams at this link.

1. John Harkin (COVID-19 Recovery Team Update) General Recovery Branch update • Disruption evident post-December 15 o Particular disruptions to staffing related to isolation and infection • Additional funding was identified and distributed, disruption to services somewhat mitigated o Funding sent through many sources – e.g. Red Cross, Salvos, TasCOSS • Keeping close eye on impacts that require intervention – welcome any feedback or issues from the industry o Let us know if support isn’t reaching certain cohorts, or anything needs tweaks Regional Recovery Committee update: • Key for committees this year is to develop understanding of key issues in living with COVID for those communities o What parts of those communities could do with additional support in the medium and long term?

• Northern - Impacts of reopening felt, but generally positive bounce-back. Feel like the North is learning to live with COVID • North Western – different conversation. Many of North-West’s usual issues felt, initiatives and strategies discussed with constructive starting points • Southern – meeting yet to take place 1

Support payments still available: • Individual COVID support payments still available, including: o PCR testing payment  $250 to help cover lost income or earnings while isolating and waiting for a PCR test result o State Government Pandemic Isolation Assistance Grant  $750 to support individuals undertaking a required isolation period  Seen approximately 3,830 applications since 15 December 21 o Australian Government Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment  For individuals who test positive or are a close contact of a case and lose income or earnings because of isolation requirements. o Changes to rules and eligibility, application process for these payments  Drafting communications to clarify what are admittedly and inherently complex arrangements  Welcome feedback on these communications •

Business impact support program grants available: o Opened for a third grants round for small businesses who have experienced a reduction in turnover due to COVID-19 of 30% or more between 15 February and 14 March 2022 inclusive, compared to the same period in 2021.

•

Essential Community Services Fuel Relief Program o Applications for the Communities Tasmania- Essential Community Services Fuel Relief Program are now open

2. Brad Wheeler (Vaccination Update) Looking at vaccination rollout • 5-11 is proving a challenging cohort: o 60% first dose, o 25-25% second dose o Second doses, clinics are filled to capacity, but many cancellations, estimated 50% no-show  Text message reminders  Follow-ups – calling individually to book in • Some conflicting information around eligibility/safety of vaccinations for children, but seeking to clarify that if a child is infected by COVID, the current advice is: o Once child through mandatory isolation and symptomless, they are able to be vaccinated. o Waiting 4-6 weeks for vaccination, you may find recurrent infections and never able to be vaccinated.

• Approaching boosters for priority population groups through contacts in the following cohorts: o Aboriginal o CALD o Disability o Homeless • Pharmacies are offering, but Department of Health continue to provide clinics: o Primary urban clinics o Others in rural/regional targets

3. Louise Giolitto (WACOSS Presentation) •

WA was in unique position, with borders closed 2

•

•

Looking to the experiences of the Eastern states, in preparation for re-opening, WACOSS Strongly advocated about: o PPE supply, especially in congregate living situations o RATs supply  WA providing 15 per household  10,000+ being provided community services industry o Cleaning supplies – based on Tasmanian model  $1m provided to WACOSS to administer for cleaning, reimbursement in event of COVID place o Workforce Surge needs  Skills shortage, particularly in rural and regional areas  Worried about stress on the system WA Community Sector Surge Pool o Distinction between critical and essential workforce  Critical: nowhere to go if shut down, e.g. congregate living, emergency relief o Voluntary for organisations to sign up o Secondment arrangement, maintaining linkages with employers o Everything in place so in event of crisis/shut down, it’s ready to go o Larger orgs with more capacity have offered to support smaller in critical services  No expectation of reciprocation o Prioritisation would involve making a judgement call about what the implications or impact of a service shut down is

4. Tasmanian Department of Health Update (Simon Roberts & Kim Ford, Public Health and COVID-19 Emergency Coordination Centre Update) •

Disability Emergency Operations Centre – set up one month ago o Responding to needs of sector, support participants who are COVID-19 positive and residential providers o Not limited to NDIS clients o Email: disability.eoc@health.tas.gov.au

•

COVID-19 Case Numbers o Uptick in cases is likely a result of BA2 sub-variant, but this has not yet translated to increased ICU/hospitalisations o BA2 Does not appear to be more virulent

•

Definition of close contact: o National cabinet referred definition of close contacts to AHPPC o Deferred consideration another week

•

Public Health emergency expires 5 April o Directions (in relation to vaccination and masks) apply only when emergency declaration in force o Director of public health considering extension of declaration, accounting for shifting national approach on COVID 3

•

Clarification of masks requirement o The direction applies to premises primarily used to provide health and medical services or treatments.

The definition of what constitutes health and medical services is at (f)(iii) in the directive. It includes delivery of services by allied health professionals. o Question: What is the definition of ‘primarily?’

In the direction ‘primarily’ is given its ordinary meaning. As in, the ‘main’ purpose of the premises is to provide health medical services or treatments to persons who are present at the premises.

•

Winter strategy for COVID and flu o Plan is being finalised, to come in the next few weeks, and covering:  vaccination,  testing,  hospital avoidance,  health system capacity, and  access to treatments o Flu cases have been suppressed through last two years  Vaccination rates quite low (particularly young), concerning for Public Health • Keen to ensure vaccination rates among national immunisation program cohorts is high o State Government securing own supply also, and moving beyond the priority cohorts above  People with disability, and support workers  Aged care and associated  Rural and remote areas not serviced by GPs  Critical industries – list o Can step in to provide vaccinations in gaps and for priorities

•

Question: Do ‘critical industries’ flagged for prioritised access to flu vaccines include community services industry (or sections thereof)?

TVEOC has advised that in addition to disability services, health and aged care, workers in critical industries include: • Food, agriculture, aquaculture • Hospitality • Education and early childhood education and care • Freight, logistics and manufacturing • Healthcare • Emergency management (including prisons and correctional facilities) •

Question: What is the best timing/month to get the flu vaccination, for both: first time (needing two doses)?

I.

The only people who will require two doses of flu vaccine for the flu vaccination season commencing March 2022 are: • Children aged less than nine years of age who are receiving the influenza vaccine for the first time should receive two doses of the vaccine, four weeks apart. In subsequent years only one dose is required.

• people who have recently had a haematopoietic stem cell transplant or solid organ transplant

4

II.

regular flu vaxxers?

Only require one dose of 2022 flu vaccine III.

Timing:

Annual vaccination should ideally occur before the onset of each influenza season. The period of peak influenza circulation is typically June to September in most parts of Australia. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection.

While protection is generally expected to last throughout the year, the highest level of protection occurs in the first three to four months after vaccination. Annual influenza vaccine should therefore occur anytime from April onwards to be protected for the peak flu season.

Please see this document from ATAGI • Question: What is the period of efficacy for flu vaccines? (Is it correct that the flu vax technically only covers the

individual adequately for around three months?)

As per the ATAGI statement - While protection is generally expected to last throughout the year, the highest level of protection occurs in the first three to four months after vaccination.

5