ECEC Educators/Teachers who may be eligible for (prioritised) COVID-19 Vaccinations

As of 28 July 2021, the Federal Department of Health issued the following specific underlying medical conditions of children under care that will enable their carers (for example early childhood education and care services’ educators and teachers) to become eligible (for priority) for the COVID-19 vaccines:

1. haematological diseases or cancers;
2. solid organ transplant recipients who are on immune suppressive therapy
3. bone marrow transplant recipients or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy recipients or those with graft host disease;
4. non-haematological cancer;
5. chronic inflammatory conditions requiring medical treatments;
6. primary or acquired immunodeficiency;
7. chronic renal (kidney) failure with a eGFR of <44mL/min
8. heart disease;
9. chronic lung disease;
10. diabetes;
11. severe obesity with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 40kg/m2;
12. chronic liver disease;
13. chronic neurological conditions;
14. poorly controlled blood pressure (defined as two or more pharmacologic agents for blood pressure control, regardless of readings);
15. those living with significant disability requiring frequent assistance with activities of daily living; or
16. those with severe mental health conditions.

Please note that the above information may change at the discretion of the Federal Department of Health.

The Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) NSW is grateful to the Federal Government for the above update. That said, ACA NSW will continue to advocate for prioritised vaccinations to be made available for all educators and teachers subject to their seeking medical advice.

That said, many educators and teachers are already eligible through a broad set of eligibility criteria – for instance all people over 40 years old, but also people under 40 who meet various eligibility criteria including those who provide care to a child with a disability in an educational setting. Visit https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility?lang=en to check your eligibility.

And please also note that there is significant availabilities of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine that may be considered should it be suitable or appropriate to use.

Should you require any further information or clarification, please contact the Federal Department of Health on 1800 020 103, or NSW Health on (02) 9391 9000, or the NSW Department of Education on 1800 619 113, or the ACA NSW team on 1300 556 330 or nsw@childcarealliance.org.au. And for all COVID related information for the early childhood education and care sector, please visit ACA NSW's COVIDwatch.

PUBLISHED: 2 AUGUST 2021