Australia’s efforts to keep its Antarctic bases COVID-19 free are to be strengthened, with a requirement that all expeditioners travelling to the Antarctic for this year’s season be vaccinated against the disease.
Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley said access to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine had been secured for Australian-based expeditioners joining the program.
“This is a unique environment and the health and safety of our Antarctic workforce is our highest priority,” Ms Ley said.
“Since the pandemic started last year, our polar medicine specialists at the Australian Antarctic Division have led the way in developing procedures to keep our expeditioners safe and COVID-19 out of our stations and we need to maintain that,” she said.
Ms Ley said expeditioners travelling south would need to be fully vaccinated before transiting on the country’s ships and planes to Australian Antarctic stations and field camps.
Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Antarctic Division, Jeff Ayton said the Polar Medicine Unit had developed a broad suite of control measures to manage the risks of the pandemic.
“In addition to the vaccination, there will be other requirements for expeditioners, including two-weeks’ quarantine, testing and health monitoring prior to departure, during training, in transit and on arrival to prevent infection and transmission of COVID-19,” Dr Ayton said.
“It is important, given the risks to expeditioners and the Australian Antarctic Program, that all measures are considered, given no one measure provides the necessary safety,” he said.
“There is limited ability to respond to COVID-19 on our ships or stations given the extreme isolation, confined living, our limited medical capability and the delays of any evacuation.”
The Chief Medical Officer said exemptions for vaccination would only be made on the grounds of medical advice and expeditioners who had already received a vaccination would need to provide evidence.
Dr Ayton said Australia’s four stations, Casey, Mawson, Davis and Macquarie Island were all equipped to test for COVID-19.
