The Australian government is preparing for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout by securing an additional vaccine workforce and working to deliver essential training to everyone who will administer the vaccinations.

Australia’s vaccine roll out will be carried out through hospitals, General practices, state and Commonwealth vaccination clinics, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and Pharmacies. 

This additional vaccination workforce will help support and supplement these existing services and assist in outreach in areas such as aged care and remote and indigenous communities working with existing providers.

Through the plan, a panel of four providers have been appointed who will be called upon to provide a vaccine workforce to supplement the existing immunisation workforce for specific populations. The providers are Aspen Medical, Healthcare Australia, International SOS, and Sonic Clinical Services.

The Australian government has been closely monitoring the immunisation programs operating overseas, including in the United Kingdom and the United States, and one of the critical requirements has been the availability of a ready and capable immunisation workforce.

Work is also under way to prepare the necessary and compulsory training which will be required for each and every healthcare professional administering COVID-19 vaccines.

The Australian College of Nursing is leading the preparation of the training materials which will cover the handling and administration of COVID-19 vaccines.

The World Health Organisation has identified Australia as one of the most well prepared health systems in the world, according to a 2018 evaluation report on Australian disaster preparedness.