They have recently been approved to administer COVID-19 vaccines for non-Medicare cardholders aged 18 years and above – great news for our international students and their families – and can administer fourth dose ‘winter booster’ vaccines for eligible individuals, including:

• Adults aged 65 years and older.
• People aged 16 years and older who are immunocompromised.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 50 years and over.
• People with complex, chronic or severe medical conditions.
• People with disability.

The Medical Service holds dedicated COVID-19 vaccination clinics weekly. Bookings can be made online, or by phoning our team on 9360 2293.

As always, please do not attend campus if you are unwell or have any symptoms of COVID-19. If you become unwell prior to your appointment, you can reschedule by phoning the Medical Service.

With ongoing community transmission of COVID-19 in Western Australia, there are understandably questions around what to do if you test positive for COVID-19 when you are due for a vaccine dose – and how this may impact course progression or clinical progression.

The WA Health Department recommends you should wait three months between testing positive for COVID-19 and getting your next recommended vaccine dose – to maintain compliance with the mandate, you must receive this within four months of infection.

Under these directions, staff and students who have been mandated by the government to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including boosters) will need to provide evidence of their COVID-19 infection to receive a temporary exemption. Accepted forms of evidence are:

• An SMS or email received from the WA Health department (or other State or Territory health department) confirming registration of a positive rapid antigen test (RAT) result or confirmation of a positive PCR test.
• A printout from a pathology laboratory of a positive PCR test.
• A doctor’s letter confirming you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 that includes the date of infection.

The evidence can be shown to your unit coordinator, who will email this to covidsupport@murdoch.edu.au to confirm your extension and update when your third dose is due.

From June 10, 2022, Western Australia's mandatory vaccination policy will be updated in line with health advice and only apply to:

• Healthcare and health support workers in hospitals and primary health care settings.
• Workers in residential aged care.
• Workers in residential disability settings.

For more information, please refer to the WA Government website.