Phase 1b of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out commenced on 22 March 2021, meaning that most of our customers are now eligible for the vaccination.

People who are now eligible to receive the vaccination include:

• All workers who regularly engage face to face with a person with disability
• People living with disability:
  • 18 years and over with an underlying medical condition
  • attending centre-based services (e.g. day programs, respite care, supported employment)

Information about who is eligible under phase 1b, how to prove eligibility and where you can receive your vaccination is outlined in this Department of Health information pack: Priority groups for COVID-19 Vaccination Program: Phase 1B.

We will be providing a letter to our community, employment and short-term accommodation customers, and accommodation customers who choose to be vaccinated in the community, explaining in further detail how to prove their eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine, and how to make a booking to receive the vaccine. You can read and download a copy of this letter here.

In addition, to support our customers with information about the vaccine, we have developed three social stories. Our staff use these social stories to talk to our customers about COVID-19 vaccinations.

Vaccinations in the Community Social Story – for customers who choose to be vaccinated in the community
This social story will support conversations with our customers who choose to be vaccinated in the community about what to expect on the day of vaccination.

Home Vaccinations Social Story – for accommodation customers who choose to be vaccinated at home
This social story will support conversations with our accommodation customers about what to expect on the day of vaccination.

COVID-19 Vaccination Consent Social Story – for all of our customers
This social story will support conversations with customers about giving informed consent for the vaccination. It highlights the ways that customers can give consent, and outlines that they have the choice to say no to having the vaccine.

Customers are encouraged to notify us when they receive their vaccination, by emailing health@activ.asn.au.

While the vaccination program is being rolled out, the best thing we can all do is to continue to be COVIDSafe by:

• practising good hygiene
• maintaining physical distancing
• staying home and getting tested if we are sick
• downloading the COVIDSafe app

We will continue to keep you updated as we find out more information about the vaccination roll-out.