Australian healthcare workers who refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19 will be suspended this week with full pay, officials have announced.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said on Monday 4,000 workers across the state had yet to receive both vaccine doses and would be stood down with immediate effect.
Anyone working in the state’s healthcare system must have received their first dose by September 30 and be fully immunised by the end of October.
Ms D’Ath said those unvaccinated workers will be ordered to explain why they are not yet double-jabbed and then be suspended with paid leave.
It is a sinister move that has left many wondering just how serious the pandemic really is, if authorities can lay off 4000 health workers in a since day.
It’s not known as yet how long they will be paid for before the funds are stopped.
‘There are 7,000 health workers who have not come forward saying they are vaccinated, but 3,000 of those are on [long service or maternity] leave,’ she said.
‘There are 4,000 who have not been vaccinated and will be given their show cause and will be suspended with full pay.’
This is the first time elected authorities have insisted that perfectly healthy citizens are injected with untested chemicals in order to continue their government employment.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Health to ask how long the suspension with pay will last for unvaccinated workers.
About one tenth of the state’s healthcare workforce has not received both Covid vaccine doses.
‘There will be some disruptions, but we are managing those disruptions… we have been planning for this,’ Ms D’Ath said.
However she said she was confident the healthcare system of 110,000 workers could cope without three per cent of the workforce.
‘We expected this,’ she said.
‘I have every confidence that these numbers will continue to grow each day, just as we saw when we mandated vaccinations with our aged care workers.’
More than 92 per cent of state health workers have had at least one vaccine dose, but Ms D’Ath said the Australian Immunisation Register showed that coverage was closer to 95 per cent.
She said all aged care workers in state facilities have had one dose and 96.3 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Queensland recorded no local new cases of Covid-19 and one new case on hotel quarantine on Monday.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Queensland Health for further comment.
