COVID-19 vaccine becomes mandatory for construction workers as Victoria records 1221 new cases

Vaccine mandates for construction industry workers have come into effect in Victoria as the state recorded 1221 COVID-19 cases and four deaths.

Staff at building sites will now need to be fully immunised against coronavirus to attend work, with residential aged care workers to follow suit on Monday.

Vaccination is now mandatory for construction workers in Victoria. Credit:Getty

The mandate has been deeply unpopular with some sectors of the industry and was at the heart of violent protests in September, that saw thousands of people march through Melbourne and vandalise the headquarters of the CFMEU.

It comes as a Sydney lawyer who unsuccessfully challenged the NSW mandate had his practising certificate suspended following posts on his firm’s social media accounts claiming the decision said “it is OK to kill anyone you like”.

Nathan Buckley crowdfunded more than $575,000 to challenge various COVID-19 public health orders, including vaccine mandates, which he lost in October.

In WA, the peak body representing school principals warned on Friday the education system could lose at least 300 teachers with an anti-vaccine stance once the state government’s vaccine mandates came into effect.

The risk schools would need to restructure classes to deal with the shortage was high, Principals Federation state president Bevan Ripp said.

Vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women has become a source of concern among obstetricians and gynaecologists in Melbourne, with some claiming they are asked daily about medical exemptions based on jab misinformation daily.

That is despite studies showing there is no increased risk of miscarriage or birth defects or increased risk of sperm and egg abnormality among the vaccinated.

University of Melbourne associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology Kate Stern said there were COVID-positive pregnant women in all Melbourne hospitals, some of whom were in ICU.

“Young women trying to get pregnant are always worried about optimising their health and they’re worried the initial [vaccine] studies didn’t consider pregnancy,” she said.

To date, almost 86 per cent of Victorians aged 12 and over are fully immunised against COVID-19 and 92 per cent in the same age bracket have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

There were 60,818 coronavirus tests processed on Friday, while 10,708 people received a coronavirus jab at a state-run vaccination hub.

There are now 16,671 active coronavirus cases in the state. Of those, 405 are in hospital with 77 in intensive care and 51 patients on a ventilator.

Most COVID-positive patients in hospital are unvaccinated.

Tens of thousands of Victorians are in isolation across the state after being in close contact with confirmed coronavirus cases.

Victorians opposing Daniel Andrews controversial pandemic laws will rally against the bill in Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday afternoon.

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