Implementing mandatory COVID‐19 vaccination for Australian aged care workers

On 28 June 2021, Australia’s National Cabinet endorsed the introduction of mandatory COVID19 vaccinations for workers in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), with all staff required to receive a first dose by 17 September 2021.1 At the time, debate around mandatory vaccination for health and social care workers was evolving in many countries, with common concerns about practical, ethical, legal and human rights implications.2,3 Few countries had moved to implement vaccine mandates, with little COVID19 specific evidence or experience to draw on, although many had previously implemented mandatory staff vaccination initiatives for other vaccinepreventable diseases in residential aged care settings, especially seasonal influenza.4

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