Founded in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Covax Australia is a Queensland-based company that provides professional staffing solutions and high-quality workplace management strategies.
Seeing the unmet needs in the community due to lockdown restrictions and nationwide delays, co-founders Mannu Kala and Dr. Anuj Gupta decided to combine their shared expertise to help innovate pandemic solutions and manage the pandemic alongside public health officials on the local, state, and federal levels.
Covax worked with leaders to support the vaccination rollout, operationalizing a major distribution hub, and offering end-to-end COVID-19-related testing services. They also provided staffing for hard-hit residential aged care facilities and partnered with community outreach clinics at schools and parks.
In response to surging infections, Covax built pop-up testing clinics on short notice and before major holidays. They implemented solutions to clear backlogs at other testing centers and coordinated with networks of pathology testing providers.
Throughout the pandemic, as they responded to emerging community needs, Covax Australia leaders were also managing the company’s own growth. To keep up with demand for services, they recruited and trained over 800 employees.
As lockdown restrictions impacted small businesses and commerce, Covax Australia was able to create jobs for their community. They proactively reached out to universities to give graduates real-world experience and assisted those making career changes with transferring their skills to a new industry.
Frontline Medical Hero of the Year
Of special note, Founder & Director of Covax Australia, Dr. Anuj Gupta, was honored at The 2022 International Business Awards® with a Gold Stevie Award for Frontline Medical Hero of the Year in the COVID-19 Response Categories.
Dr. Gupta began his medical career as an international medical student in 2005 in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Finishing his medical training in 2019, Dr. Gupta has already established multiple practices and enterprises, some of which are among the most successful general practices in Queensland and Australia. He has since gone on to open a vaccine clinic, respiratory clinics, and drive-through clinics in Brisbane and Gold Coast.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Dr. Gupta served as a frontline responder in Brisbane and consistently rose to the challenge whenever the city needed him in terms of surge and pandemic response. He is also responsible for setting up the first GP Respiratory clinic in Brisbane.
In December 2020, Dr. Gupta founded Covax Australia, a staffing agency with a focus solely on pandemic management, including developing and implementing strategies to help manage aspects of the COVID-19 crisis. In coordination with the Department of Health and Queensland Health, Dr. Gupta worked tirelessly to establish frontline clinics and to organize the COVID-19 response in Australia and Queensland in particular.
Evolving for the Future
Covax Australia now provides innovative staffing solutions to diverse industry settings to suit their changing needs, in sectors including but not limited to the healthcare, hospitality, security, human resources and environmental services sectors.
They support private clients as well as state and federal governments developing and providing end-to-end solutions, supply of equipment, and surge workforce assistance. The agency endeavors to build life-long partnerships with clients, adapting and customizing their services to meet the changing needs of all businesses.
Covax Australia won a Bronze Stevie Award for Company of the Year among Medium-size Health Products & Services Organizations, and a Bronze Stevie Award for Startup of the Year among Business Services Industries.
Dr. Anuj Gupta won a Gold Stevie Award for Frontline Medical Hero of the Year within the COVID-19 Response Categories in The 2022 International Business Awards®.
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