COVID Vaccinations in Residential Aged Care Homes

South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (SEMPHN) enables Residential Aged Care Homes (RACHs) to access COVID Vaccinations from Primary Care Providers.

SEMPHN is Commonwealth-funded to support 152 RACHs and their residents when they need help accessing a Primary Care Provider to conduct COVID vaccinations. SEMPHN ensures that RACHs are up-to-date with the latest COVID-19 vaccination guidelines and protocols through community education and engagement. We help RACHs by coordinating vaccination clinics and assist the Federal Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) in the management and monitoring of COVID Vaccination data to identify areas of improvement and increase uptake across the SEMPHN region.

Contact SEMPHN for vaccination support - agedcare@semphn.org.au

Why is it important to remain current with your COVID-19 vaccinations?

COVID-19 vaccines give good protection against serious illness and death, however this protection wanes over time.

• Current evidence suggests that protection for people aged 75 years and older greatly increases with another dose of vaccine 6 months after their last booster dose.
• COVID-19 has consistently caused severe illness, hospitalisation, and deaths in older adults, particularly those with major medical comorbidities and those aged 75 years and older.
• COVID-19 cases continue to occur in residential aged care facilities. COVID-19 vaccines are voluntary but strongly encouraged for aged care residents and staff.

Recent research from The Lancet shows that COVID vaccinations reduced the instance of Long COVID by between 29%-52%. Another peer reviewed study from the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society showed that residents infected with COVID struggled with cognitive issues and were more dependent on staff for activities of daily living for nine months on average after infection. Residents who tested positive also died at twice the rate of uninfected residents during the study period. Another study of people with dementia showed that COVID-19 causes severe neurological complications in people with dementia. According to that study, COVID-19 appears to accelerate disease progression in all types of dementia. Keeping residents up-to-date with their COVID Vaccinations provides short and long-term health benefits and reduces workload for RACH staff.

Organising Consent

SEMPHN has created an email template designed to be sent to families and next of kins to help care homes organise consent for the next vaccine dose. Please download and use for your own purposes - Consent Email Template for Families of Aged Care Residents

Vaccination Recommendations for RACH Residents: 

Residents are eligible for their next dose if they are:

• aged 65 years and over 
• AND it has been over 6 months since their last vaccine. 

ATAGI recommends a dose of COVID-19 vaccine for adults aged over 75 years every 6 months. People aged 65-74 are recommended to receive a dose of COVID-19 vaccine every 12 months, and can consider a dose every 6 months, based on a risk-benefit assessment

If a person is unsure of their last COVID-19 dose or last confirmed COVID-19 infection, it is safe to get their next booster dose. 

Waiting for multiple residents to be eligible before running vaccination sessions is not recommended. Residents need to be offered a COVID vaccination as soon as they become eligible. COVID-19 vaccines can be co-administered (given on the same day) with any other vaccine, including the annual flu vaccination.

If your RACH needs help, please contact agedcare@semphn.org.au so we can organise a GP to vaccinate the residents. 

Eligibility Checker 

The Department has an eligibility tool that can be used to determine whether someone is eligible for a COVID-19 booster vaccination. The link to the COVID-19 booster eligibility checker  is here 

Additional information from SEMPHN about COVID-19

• Services and resources on COVID-19

Resources to help manage and prevent COVID-19 in aged care settings

Prevent and prepare for COVID-19 in residential aged care (DoHAC)

Managing a COVID-19 outbreak in residential aged care (DoHAC)

COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) (VIC Government)

Acute respiratory infection management in residential care facilities (VIC Government)

COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines (VIC Government)

Improving ventilation to stop the spread of COVID-19 - Better Health Channel (VIC Government)

Partnerships in care Partner fact sheet (Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission)

National Guideline for the Prevention, Control and Public Health Management of Outbreaks of Acute Respiratory Infection in Residential Aged Care Homes (The Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA))

Important links:

Residential aged care service providers seeking information on COVID Vaccinations in Aged Care (DoHAC)

ATAGI statement on the administration of COVID-19 vaccines in 2024  (March 2024)

Fact sheet for residents and families on COVID-19 vaccination and antivirals (Late 2024)

COVID Vaccine Consent Form (June 2023)

Is it true? Get the facts on COVID-19 vaccines (DoHAC)

COVID-19 - Better Health Channel

COVID-19 — vaccination, testing, symptoms - healthdirect