Vaccination is essential for managing COVID-19 risk, and the College is calling on all paramedics to take up vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the associated COVID-19 illness to protect themselves, their patients, their health colleagues, and the community.
COVID-19 represents a real and present public health threat to the communities of Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific. Living up to our title of the most trusted profession, it is imperative that paramedics acknowledge their professional obligation to promote and support the health of their patients and the public.
Consistent with this obligation, paramedics must ensure they provide dispassionate, evidence-informed health information, advice and care that is free from personal opinion or biases (see Paramedicine Board of Australia Code of Conduct – Section 2 and New Zealand Paramedic Council Code of Conduct).
The College is represented on the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce and is a member of the Australian Living Evidence Consortium. The evidence is unequivocal: Vaccination provides greater protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 illness.
Paramedics, as frontline clinicians, are at increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus through daily contact with potentially at-risk members of the community. It is the College's expectation that, unless medically contraindicated, all paramedics will take up the opportunity to be vaccinated with an available vaccine approved for use in their jurisdiction.
The College respects the rights of individuals to form and hold their own opinions; however, there is no place for anti-vaccination messages in our profession, including during practice, where individuals hold themselves out as paramedics in public fora, or on social media.
Booking your vaccination
Please check your local state and territory website for directions on how to book your vaccination:
New Zealand COVID-19: https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines
Australian Capital Territory COVID-19: [https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/]https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/)
New South Wales COVID-19: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19
Northern Territory COVID-19: https://coronavirus.nt.gov.au/
Queensland COVID-19: https://www.covid19.qld.gov.au/
South Australia COVID-19: https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/
Tasmania COVID-19: https://www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/
Victoria COVID-19: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
Western Australia COVID-19: https://www.wa.gov.au/government/covid-19-coronavirus
Additional information on COVID-19 vaccination
Australian Government - Department of Health website is the official Australian source of accurate, reputable and up-to-date information: https://www.health.gov.au/
The New Zealand Ministry of Health website is the official Aotearoa New Zealand source of accurate, reputable and up-to-date information: https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines
Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines
Australia: https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/learn-about-covid-19-vaccines
Aotearoa New Zealand: https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-how-vaccine-works
About the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine: https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/learn-about-covid-19-vaccines/about-the-pfizerbiontech-covid-19-vaccine
About the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine: https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/learn-about-covid-19-vaccines/about-the-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine
About the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine: https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/approved-vaccines/moderna
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The College is the peak professional body representing and supporting paramedics and student paramedics across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand since 1973.
The College acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the land and sea in which we live and work, we recognise their continuing connection to land, sea and culture and pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.
We recognise the unique role of Māori as Tangata Whenua and embrace Te Tiriti o Waitangi, recognising Māori as tino rangatiratanga of Aotearoa New Zealand while supporting the guiding principles of Te Tiriti – Tino rangatiratanga, Equality, Active protection, Options, and Partnership.