COVID-19 latest information

Updated 16/05/2022

Here is the latest information to support your child and family.

On this page:

Speaking up for children and families
Vaccination
Testing
What to do if you or your child has COVID
School, child care and kinder
NDIS
Looking after yourself

Speaking up for children and families

ACD is speaking up for the needs of children with disability and their families during COVID.

We are calling for increased support for advocacy so families can get the support they need.

For the latest updates, follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter.

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Vaccination

COVID vaccines are free and available for children aged five and older.

Vaccines help protect you and your child against serious illness.

Disability Liaison Officers

Disability Liaison Officers can help you with your child’s disability support needs to get vaccinated.

To contact a DLO:

Email DLOcoordinator@dhhs.vic.gov.au
Or complete the online request form
Or call the Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398

Think about what will help your child get vaccinated. This fact sheet on COVID-19 vaccination planning for young children can help you and your child prepare for vaccination with confidence.

Where your child can get vaccinated

There are a number of ways that children with disability can get vaccinated:

GP or pharmacy
State vaccination centres
Book online or through the Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398.
Low Sensory Clinics
These offer longer appointments, quiet environments, trained staff, and distraction aids such as VR goggles. Book through a Disability Liaison Officer.
Drive-through vaccination clinics at Melton and Campbellfield
Book online or through the Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398.
Children who need sedation
Sedation requires a referral from a GP or specialist from the Victorian Specialist Immunisation Service (VicSIS). Speak first with a Disability Liaison Officer to talk through all the options.
Book through a Disability Liaison Officer.
Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) patients
Patients aged five and over who have a chronic medical condition can be vaccinated at RCH. This is not available to the general public. Appointments are essential, no walk-ins.
Book through the RCH Immunisation Hotline 1300 882 924.

Supporting your child

These resources can help you support your child to get vaccinated:

Second dose

Most children have the second dose eight weeks after their first dose. Children at higher risk of COVID can have it three weeks after their first dose.

This includes children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, severe disability that requires frequent assistance with daily living (including some autistic children), heart disease and chronic lung disease (including those regularly hospitalised for asthma), cancer and survivors of childhood cancer.

Read the full list of disability and medical conditions.

Third dose

A third dose is recommended for people aged five years and older who are severely immunocompromised.

Your child should have the third dose between two to six months after their second dose.

Boosters

Boosters are recommended for people aged 16 and older.

Your child can get their booster three months after their second dose.

You can get a booster at GPs, pharmacies and State Vaccination Hubs. Many vaccination centres offer walk-in appointments for boosters.

Vaccination after COVID

Even if you or your child has had COVID, vaccination is still highly recommended. You can get any dose of the vaccine three months after you had COVID.

Translated resources

Go to our COVID-19 translated resources page for our translated fact sheet about getting a COVID vaccine for children with additional needs or disability. The fact sheet is available in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Vietnamese and English.

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Flu shot

It is safe to have the flu shot and the COVID vaccine on the same day.

The flu shot is free for:

children aged six months to five years old
pregnant women
all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
anyone over 65
people with certain health conditions

The flu shot is recommended for everyone.

Testing

COVID testing is free and available across Victoria. Get tested if you have symptoms or if you are a household contact of someone who has tested positive.

Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) are available free from COVID testing centres for people who have symptoms and for people who are household close contacts.

NDIS participants aged 16+ can get 20 free RAT tests from a state testing centre.

NDIS participants can also purchase RAT tests from their core support. Health care card holders and pensioner concession cardholders can access free RAT tests (10 every three months) from their local pharmacy, depending on supply.

If you have a positive RAT test you do not need to get a PCR test but you must report your positive result to the Department of Health.

In-home testing is available for people with disability who cannot get to a testing site. Call the Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398.

If you or your child has disability support needs in accessing COVID testing, contact a Disability Liaison Officer.

If you test positive you need to isolate for seven days from the day of your test.

Useful resources

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What to do if you or your child has COVID

If you test positive, you need to isolate for seven days from the day of your test.

Household contacts do not need to isolate if they test negative to five RAT tests in seven days, wear a mask indoors, and do not visit hospitals or care facilities. These are the rules for positive cases and close contacts.

If you test positive you will be sent an online form to complete. Let the Department of Health know that your child has a disability and any underlying medical conditions.

Monitor symptoms and contact your GP or seek medical assistance if you have concerns. Connect with neighbours, friends and family who can help you emotionally, drop off food and provide other practical help.

Support Workers who provide essential care for your child can continue to work in your home if needed, with extra precautions such as everyone wearing masks and increasing airflow.

A Disability Liaison Officer can assist you if you need help isolating.

If one member of your household is positive and the rest are negative you can reduce the risk of catching COVID by:

Everyone wearing masks
Increasing air flow – keep doors and windows open, use fans and an air purifier if you have one
Using separate bathrooms, if possible
Physically distancing, if possible
Regularly wash or sanitise hands

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School, child care and kinder

These are the arrangements for the first four weeks of Term 2.

Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs)

RATs will be provided to all child care, kinder and school staff as well as child care/kinder students aged three and five, primary and secondary school students
RATs are free, they are for you to use at home, and they are optional
Staff and students at mainstream schools will be provided with two tests a week
Staff and students at specialist schools will be provided with five tests a week
If your child has a positive RAT result let the school know and report the result

Masks

Masks are to be worn indoors by staff and students aged 8+ if they are a household contact of a person who has tested positive
Surgical masks will be provided free at all schools
If your child cannot wear a mask due to disability or medical condition then they are exempt. There is no need for a letter from your GP. You can simply tell the school your child can’t wear a mask

Vaccines

All child care, kinder and school staff are required to be vaccinated and boostered
It is highly recommended that students aged five and older are vaccinated, but it is optional and it is your choice

Other school activities and visitors to schools

School camps, sporting activities and excursions will go ahead
Parents and allied health therapists can go on child care, kinder and school sites

If there is a COVID case at child care, kinder or school

Staff and families will be notified if there is a COVID case in their child’s cohort
If your child has been exposed, they can keep going to child care, kinder or school but you should monitor closely for symptoms
Keep your child home if they have any symptoms even if they have a negative RAT test

Learning tasks at home

If your child has to isolate because they have COVID they will be given learning tasks to do at home

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NDIS

It’s important to talk with your child’s Support Workers and service providers about how you want to manage your child’s and family’s health and safety during COVID.

This includes:

All Support Workers must now be vaccinated. This includes having a booster. You can ask your Support Worker for proof of their vaccination status
When the Support Worker is in your home you can choose for everyone at home to wear face masks
Where possible maintain physical distancing
Increase ventilation by keeping doors and windows open, turn on fans and use an air purifier if you have one
Regularly wash or sanitise hands