Without vaccines, we’re at risk of serious illness, disability or even death from things like measles, meningitis, pneumonia, tetanus and polio – and now COVID-19.

Vaccines work by stimulating the body’s natural resistance by training our immune systems to create antibodies.

Here are a few reasons why vaccinations are good – for everyone:

• they can prevent us from getting sick
• they are safe
• they can save lives
• they will not cause a disease they are designed to prevent
• they can help protect the community
• prevention is much better than treatment.

In a nutshell, by getting vaccinated, we are protecting ourselves, our loved ones and those around us. Most people can be vaccinated, but those who cannot be – including very young babies, those who are seriously ill or have certain allergies – they depend on us to be vaccinated to ensure they are also safe from vaccine-preventable diseases.

These are the reasons the Government is requiring the education workforce to be vaccinated by 1 January 2022.

It’s important to know that licensed vaccines have been rigorously tested across multiple phases before being approved for use.