The federal government has contracted a major aged care provider to vaccinate its own workforce, while pop-up clinics are established at facilities across Canberra, in a bid to rapidly improve rates before the September deadline.
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The federal government had mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for residential aged care staff with all to have had their first shot by September 17.
Less than one-quarter of 3119 aged care staff in Canberra had been fully vaccinated as of July 23 and only 30 per cent had one shot.
Aged care staff have been eligible for a vaccine since the rollout began.
The federal Department of Health has made a bid to boost those numbers by contracting one major provider in the ACT to vaccinate its own workforce.
Daily clinics have also been set up at other sites for the next two months, administering up to 120 doses per day.
"A booking system will be available for all aged care workers - however if there is capacity, walk-ins will be welcomed," a Department of Health spokesman said.
RSL Lifecare operates four facilities in the ACT. The organisation's chief executive Graham Millett said the only way the September target would be achieved was to offer vaccination on-site at every facility.
"It can be done, because it has been done with [aged care] residents," he said.
"You can only do it if you replicate that process that was followed."
He wasn't aware the federal government were operating on-site clinics in Canberra and hoped their sites would have an opportunity to take part.
About one-quarter of the RSL Lifecare staff are fully vaccinated and a further 10 per cent have had one dose.
"If you make it easy for people to do it, they will do it," he said.
"There appears to be an underlying issue with communication because we would walk over hot coals to get a health provider to come out with a medical team to our sites."
Mr Millett was confident the September target could be reached, but said it relied on all staff having the choice to get a jab at work.
"The thing that's often forgotten is many of these workers have English as a second language," he said.
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"So it's difficult for them when they get [to a clinic] to understand the various forms they have to fill out ... for many it's overwhelming so they just don't do it."
Mr Millett said on-site hubs set up at facilities in NSW had proved popular, with management able to assist staff through the process and only take a short time out of work for the procedure.
"If they were suffering any sort of side effects, and we could send them home and get a replacement," he said.
He added clinics would need to remain on-site for several days to capture everyone working on a shift basis.
The ACT government has dedicated 2000 appointments per week at vaccine hubs for frontline workers.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith has previously said the vaccination rates across aged care staff was "really concerning" and government-run clinics would go to lengths to fit in a priority worker.
"We will overbook our clinics ... if they call up, we'll put extra appointments for them and make sure that we fit them in," she said.
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