The Morrison government is providing a further $1.1 billion to extend the national COVID-19 health response until the end of the year.
This comes on top of the $22 billion already spent to date, including more than $6 billion to support the virus vaccine rollout.
“As COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the nation, protecting Australians from the ongoing threats of the pandemic remains a priority,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement.
Mr Morrison and Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly received their second Pfizer COVID-19 jab on Sunday.
“Australia’s suppression strategy has been extremely successful to date, particularly when compared with the devastation caused by the virus in many places overseas,” the prime minister said.
“Australia’s remarkable performance in saving lives is evident – we have the second lowest case rate and third lowest mortality rate amongst countries in the OECD.”
But Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said Australia is not in a better position than the rest of the world with regard to the vaccine rollout.
He said the government had said four million people would have got their first jab by the end of this month but with just over two weeks to go, only about 150,000 people have been vaccinated.
“We are way way short,” he told Sky News’ Sunday Agenda program.
The promise of getting everyone vaccinated twice by October has now also fallen by the wayside.
“We had Scott Morrison in his usual way say that black is white and suggest that he hadn’t really meant that everyone would be vaccinated by October when they have said they would on multiple occasions,” Mr Albanese said.
Meanwhile, states and territories are chasing down potential contacts of a doctor who contracted COVID-19 while working at a Brisbane hospital.
Health authorities across the nation have asked for people recently in Brisbane to monitor their symptoms after the doctor caught the virus from a patient at Princess Alexandra Hospital.
The infection has caused aged care homes and hospitals in the city to enter isolation.
The doctor – who is yet to be vaccinated – had contact with two patients in the early hours of Wednesday before testing positive on Friday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters on Saturday.
The patients believed to have passed on the virus have the more-contagious UK strain and genomic testing is underway to confirm whether the doctor has the same strain.
The doctor worked a shift at the PA Hospital late on Wednesday and Thursday while asymptomatic, and she was infectious in the community for about a day.
“A big exercise in contact tracing is underway at the moment as we speak at the PA Hospital, identifying all patients and all staff who may have been in contact with the doctor during that time,” Deputy Chief Health Officer Sonya Bennett said.
Three high risk sites in the community, including a cafe and gym, have been identified.
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.
