Covid-19 Vaccination in the City of Sydney – Public Health Promotion Campaign
Decision Maker: Council
Decision status: Recommendations Determined
Decision:
Original motion moved by Councillor Scott, seconded by Councillor Miller -
It is resolved that
(A)
Council
note:
(i)
in October
2020, Council unanimously resolved to agree that science must be put first and
misinformation about vaccines must be countered with balanced information that
does not prey on parental fear, especially when so many people are anxious
about the Covid-19 pandemic;
(ii)
experts
have warned that vaccine misinformation and uncertainty spread via social media
puts the Australian vaccine rollout at risk;
(iii)
14.6
per cent of NSW residents are considered to be vaccine hesitant with six per
cent of NSW residents unsure about getting the Covid vaccine and 7.6 per cent
unwilling to get the Covid vaccine;
(iv)
policies
to reduce vaccine hesitancy need to be carefully targeted at populations most
vulnerable and most likely to transmit the virus;
(v)
vaccine
hesitancy has been linked to a surge of Covid infections currently happening in
the United States of America;
(vi)
City
staff have been working in close collaboration with staff from Sydney and South
Eastern Sydney Local Health Districts to support testing centres and
vaccination clinics, including those targeted at providing vaccines to
vulnerable populations. City facilities have been used wherever practical
and appropriate;
(vii)
since
the pandemic began, testing and vaccination clinics have been established in
Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Woolloomooloo, Glebe, the CBD and Redfern-Waterloo,
including at a number of City of Sydney community facilities. City staff
continue to work closely with NSW Health to support clinics and testing
locations, including those in our own facilities;
(viii)
City staff
have been sharing health messaging about Covid-19 requirements, testing and
vaccinations, including information provided by NSW Health in multiple
community languages, with a range of community members, groups, networks and
interagencies throughout the pandemic. The City’s community hotline also
provides information about vaccination and testing clinics, and other
information and referrals as required;
(ix) the City’s Public Space Liaison Officers continue to patrol daily and
provide information, supports and masks to people sleeping rough. The City is
also coordinating communications to building managers of boarding houses and
community housing providers and is supplying and
distributing masks for residents;
(x)
the
City distributed hard copy resources to all social and community housing
residents with information on support services, including accessing
vaccinations. This resource includes information in community languages
so people can access translators for phone services, information on the City’s
Community Hotline, mental health services and domestic and family violence;
(xi)
the City’s Sustainable
Apartments eNews has been circulated to approximately 2,400
residential properties and included information on public health orders
mandating masks in common areas and where to access mental health and financial
support;
(xii)
the City’s Community Hotline information poster has been
redistributed to social housing networks (public and community housing),
including information in six community languages and our Domestic and Family
Violence resource has been redistributed in a range of community languages; and
(xiii) that the Australian Local
Government Association wrote to Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt in January
about priority vaccinations for local government frontline staff;
(B)
the
Lord Mayor be requested to write to the relevant Federal and State Ministers
to:
(i)
urgently
request that all frontline workers are prioritised to receive vaccinations;
(ii)
seek the urgent opening of more walk-up vaccination
clinics in the City of Sydney, further offering the use of Council facilities
and other relevant resources for this use; and
(iii) offer to
continue to partner with the State and Commonwealth Governments to extend the
support the City is providing, including for example, seek to invite trained
health staff who can provide vaccines to accompany the City’s Meals on Wheels
and other front line staff, to offer vaccines to vulnerable community members;
and
(C)
the
Chief Executive Officer be requested to continue and where necessary extend the
City’s activities to support the safety of our communities from Covid-19,
including testing and vaccination efforts.
The motion, as varied by consent, was carried
unanimously.
S129266
Report author: Erin Cashman
Publication date: 16/08/2021
Date of decision: 16/08/2021
Decided at meeting: 16/08/2021 - Council
Accompanying Documents: