Data: As of Friday this week, a total of 5,641,008 vaccine doses had been administered across Australia. Over the past 7 days, an average of 122,094 doses were administered daily (up from an average of 107,832 doses a day the previous week). At the current rate, vaccination of Australia’s entire adult population is expected to be completed by mid-March 2022, with herd immunity still around 10 months away.
Other vaccine news from around Australia this week:
1. On 10 June, Australia recorded a new daily vaccination record, with 153,338 people vaccinated nationwide. That figure was almost 10,000 higher than the record set just a week earlier. Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia each hit their highest single-day totals. Victoria’s cumulative total has now overtaken New South Wales, reaching 1,660,708 doses — vaccination numbers in Victoria have been surging ever since 4 new local transmission cases emerged on 24 May. On a per-capita basis, however, Victoria ranks fourth, with Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory taking out the top three spots.
2. The Northern Territory will become the first jurisdiction in Australia to offer the vaccine to all residents aged 16 and over. From this Tuesday, residents aged 16 and over in the capital, Darwin, will be eligible to get vaccinated. The NT’s plan was approved at last week’s National Cabinet meeting, with the Federal Government committing to guarantee sufficient vaccine supply for the Territory once the eligible age range is widened. The age expansion is happening in the NT first largely because of its population make-up: the Territory has around 246,500 residents, roughly 60% of whom live in Darwin, with the rest spread across remote or very remote areas. Indigenous residents make up 30% of the population, and 7% of Territorians have already received a first dose — well above the national rate of 2.8%.
3. From this Tuesday, Western Australia will allow people aged 30-39 to begin receiving the Pfizer vaccine, and vaccination clinics across the state will start opening seven days a week. The state health minister hopes that expanding vaccine access will help lift vaccination numbers, and expects current stock to be sufficient — of the state’s 150,000 doses, 107,653 are Pfizer, with a further 28,000 doses arriving each week.
4. South Australia will also allow everyone aged 40 and over to book a vaccination from this Tuesday, with bookings already open. Eligibility for disability carers and Kangaroo Island residents will be further expanded in the next phase — health centres on Kangaroo Island will subsequently be able to offer the Pfizer vaccine to local residents aged 16 and over, and all disability carers will soon be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine as well. The capital, Canberra, also expanded vaccine eligibility this week, and Canberrans aged 40 to 49 can now book a Pfizer vaccination at the Garran vaccination centre. More than 60,000 Canberrans are eligible under the latest phase. From 3 June, the online booking system at vaccination clinics will have extended hours; to meet increased demand, the health department will also bring on extra staff and update the callback system. The booking hotline will be open 7 days a week from 7am to 7pm, on 02 5124 7700. Bookings can also be made online through the ACT Government’s MyDHR booking system.
5. A former Bunnings warehouse in Lake Macquarie, NSW, will be converted into the state’s second-largest vaccination centre, capable of administering up to 20,000 doses a week, with the conversion to be completed within 6 weeks. The centre will replicate the highly successful model of the Sydney Olympic Park mass vaccination centre, and once operational will employ 100 nurses, 25 pharmacists and 200 support staff. It is expected to open in July, although an exact date has not been set.
Sources: ABC, The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, WHO, websites of Australia’s state health departments
