Some 163 boys from St Joseph’s College, a Hunters Hill boarding school, got their first jab of the Pfizer vaccine by mistake. The vaccine was only intended for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students but all of the Year 12 boys who went to the vaccine hub at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital were given their first dose.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard confirmed in a statement that the Year 12 boarders were inoculated “through an error.” He issued an apology along with local chief health officer Kerry Chant, who said that the vaccination had been “a misunderstanding, a miscommunication, a misstep.”
St Joseph’s College headmaster Ross Tarlinto said that the school approached the Sydney Local Health District in May 2021 about the vaccination since they have a large number of students who belong to rural, remote, and indigenous communities. In NSW, only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people could get the Pfizer vaccine if they are above 16 years old as they are the priority groups.
The Hunters Hill boarding school, one of the most expensive and largest Catholic boy’s schools in Sydney, has nearly 1,100 students but only four percent are Indigenous, per the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Of Year 12 students who were supposed to have the Pfizer vaccine, fewer than five identify as Indigenous.
Teresa Anderson, the local health district’s chief executive, said that they agreed to vaccinate Aboriginal students. They initially believed that the 163 students coming in from St Joseph’s College were Indigenous but realised this wasn’t the case when the boys arrived at the hub. Reports cited that the staff who had to administer the vaccine could not turn them away.
Amber Flohm of the NSW Teacher’s Federation said that the community is outraged about the mistake as it shows society’s inequality. Ms Flohm said that this behaviour should not be tolerated amidst a pandemic.
NSW Health assured the public that no other private schools in Sydney have had the same experience. However, King’s School in Parramatta, another boarding school, has approached NSW Health regarding the possibility of vaccinating their students. They have to receive approval.