Only just over 1 per cent of people living in a disability care setting have been fully vaccinated despite being in the priority group 1a for the vaccine rollout.
The revelation in Senate estimates on Tuesday came as Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck came under pressure for not knowing the exact number of aged care workers vaccinated.
It’s been revealed the pace of the vaccine rollout has seen just 355 people in disability care or about 1.6 per cent of the group receive two doses, out of 22,285 people living in the accommodation setting.
A further approximately 3,100 in this group have also received an initial dose, according to evidence in the estimates hearing.
The number of vaccinations is higher among National Disability Insurance Scheme participants living in an aged care setting with 2,600 out of around 5,000 residents fully vaccinated.
Aged care and disability were in the highest priority category which the federal government initially promised was due to be completed in the first six weeks of the vaccine rollout.
Senator Colbeck faced intense questioning from Labor Senators over the delivery of the rollout in aged care and disability care settings on Tuesday during the estimates hearing.
“Who is in charge of vaccinating aged care staff?” Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher asked Senator Colbeck.
“You can harangue me all you like - I’m trying to answer your question - we are running a cooperative program to rollout the vaccine with the states and territories,” Senator Colbeck replied.
The Victorian outbreak has placed mounting pressure over the federal government’s delivery of the rollout into aged-care settings, after two aged care workers and a resident tested positive.
“We continue to prioritise and work as quickly as we can and obviously we are focused on residents in aged care being the most vulnerable as part of that process,” Senator Colbeck told estimates.
Some 32,833 aged care workers have received two doses on minimum estimates provided to the estimates hearing. There is an estimated 366,000 people employed in aged care nationally
Officials said 64 per cent of aged care residents had been fully vaccinated nationwide, including 57 per cent in Victoria more than three months after the rollout began.
But Mr Colbeck could not provide the exact number of aged care workers vaccinated because he says until now aged care providers were not required to report the figures.
"We're asking the aged care providers who hold the data to report that information back to us," Senator Colbeck said.
Senator Colbeck said providers would be directed to detail staff vaccination numbers from all sources to get a more accurate picture under a system starting on Friday.
The Victorian government on Tuesday announced a 5-day “vaccine blitz” that will target aged care workers, disability care staff and people with disability in residential care.
Around 85 per cent had consented to a vaccine in aged care but some residents and families declined due to illness, officials told the hearing.
