Metlifecare applauds this week's Government announcement that COVID-19 vaccinations will be mandated for healthcare workers. The announcement follows the formalisation of Metlifecare’s own vaccination policy, which requires all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
"The law in New Zealand requires Metlifecare to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of both employees and other persons, including our residents, in all of our facilities.
"Additionally, a large number of our residents are considered to be vulnerable or high-risk, and both residents and their families have been clear that having contact with employees who are unvaccinated is a source of significant concern and, given what we know of the potentially devastating effects of COVID-19, they are not willing to accept that risk," said Metlifecare CEO Earl Gasparich.
Recent information from the Ministry of Health provides evidence that some variants of COVID-19 are far more transmissible, which heightens the threat of COVID-19 significantly in the workplace. This also requires increased risk management to ensure the ongoing health and safety of residents and employees.
Metlifecare has been active in supporting and facilitating its residents and employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, by providing evidence-based information and coordinating on-site vaccinations at our villages and care homes, as well as opportunities at other locations for employees to be vaccinated. As a result, resident and employee vaccination rates are high, with close to 92 percent of employees and the vast majority of village and care home residents now vaccinated.
“We are delighted with the Government’s decision, we believe it has the potential to save lives and will also allay the concerns of thousands of senior New Zealanders, who are most at risk of negative outcomes should they be infected with COVID-19," said Gasparich.
