Australia has marked another day with no locally acquired cases of COVID-19 as Western Australia detailed its plan for the launch of its vaccine rollout from February 22.
Premier Mark McGowan and Health Minister Roger Cook announced the plans on Saturday, saying it would be a limited rollout prioritising quarantine and international border staff, high risk frontline healthcare workers and aged and disability care staff.
WA will get just 10,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine initially and each recipient of the jab must have a second one three weeks later, Mr McGowan said.
As more vaccine doses become available, six hubs will be set up to administer jabs: Perth Children’s Hospital as well as Albany, Headland, Kalgoorlie, Geraldton and Broome health campuses.
“Our priority is to make sure that any approved vaccine that becomes available can be administered to Western Australians as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible,” Mr McGowan said.
Roger Cook said medical teams from Perth Children’s Hospital would administer the initial doses of the vaccine to high risk frontliners in order to “tackle the greatest potential threat head on”.
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All people above the age of 16 will be recommended to receive the vaccine as soon as it’s available to them. Children under 16 will not receive the vaccine, though this could change in later phases of the rollout, the health minister said.
Mr Cook implored WA residents to use the SafeWA QR code system to register their attendance at venues.
With a week of transitional restrictions in Perth and Peel regions in the wake of the five-day lockdown which ended on Friday, the premier urged residents to “stay the course” so pre-lockdown life can return.
He said masks from the state’s stockpile were readily available in pharmacies and other locations but that he had noticed many people had been “fantastic” in having their own masks ready to wear.
Asked about whether he would resume campaigning for the WA state election next month, the premier said no because he was too busy dealing with the five-day lockdown, bushfires and flooding.
“This week has been a week like none other,” he said.
The government has defended forcing more than two million people into lockdown over what has proved to be just be one case – that of a security guard at the Sheraton Four Points hotel who unwittingly roamed the streets of Perth while infectious.
Weekly cap on international arrivals set to increase
Victoria will increase its weekly hotel quarantine capacity to 1310 from February 15 as a month-long national “slowdown” on arrivals concludes.
NSW will from February 15 return to a cap of about 3000 people a week, while Queensland is reverting to 1000 and SA to 530.
WA will retain its halved cap of 500 until the end of the month.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the increased caps after a national cabinet meeting with state and territory leaders on Friday.
The return to more arrivals – having been briefly paused due to the emergence of the contagious UK and South African virus strains – will coincide with the commencement of the Australian vaccination program.
Hotel quarantine workers, frontline staff and border officials are first in line for the Pfizer coronavirus jab, along with the elderly and most vulnerable.
Department of Health head Brendan Murphy says the risk of the virus leaking from hotel quarantine will reduce once its workers have had the jab. State borders could then also be relaxed on a lasting basis.
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While he was hesitant to give a possible time frame for when Australia’s international border restrictions will ease, Professor Murphy said officials would keep a close eye on how well the population was protected after vaccinations.
“Progressively over the second half of this year we should see a trajectory towards normality,” he told a parliamentary inquiry on Friday.
The government hopes most Australians will be vaccinated by late October.
Australia has secured more than 150 million doses of various vaccines.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus.
Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania.
