Australians have been told to still expect their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine by October, with the federal government sticking by its time frame despite initial delays in the rollout.
Doses have fallen well short of the 60,000 target in the first week, but the government is confident ground can be made up.
As of Monday evening, nearly 42,000 Australians have had their first dose, including more than 13,000 aged care residents at 158 facilities.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says it is a progressive rollout, which will ramp up.
“It’s been done that way for reasons of safety and security,” he told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.
“We will continue to roll it out and these arrivals of vaccines are very good and the continued expansion of the program is good.”
Federal Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck said the government always expected a few things not to work out in the early days of the program.
He said the target of vaccinating all aged care residents within six weeks of the rollout’s start date remained on course.
Jane Halton from the national COVID-19 commission said some states – Victoria, NSW and Queensland – had decided to ease into the rollout.
“I do think slow and steady at the beginning is wise,” she told 3AW radio.
“Everyone is learning how to do this. We’ve never done this before.
“So I’m not at all worried by the numbers in this early stage.”
The Pfizer vaccine has been administered so far, with imported stocks of the AstraZeneca option to be available in the next 10 days.
Pharmaceutical giant CSL is also manufacturing 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Victoria, with senior official Christopher Larkins saying about one million were ready at the facility.
Doses will begin leaving the facility by the end of the month, with the company to ramp up production.
“We’re close to making one million doses a week,” Mr Larkins told a parliamentary inquiry.
Two doses of the vaccine are needed, with a third “booster” shot based on a different COVID-19 variant being considered by AstraZeneca.
CSL could release a vaccine for a new variant by the end of the year, Mr Larkins said.
Infectious diseases pediatrician Robert Booy told the inquiry, which is looking at Australia’s virus response, the vaccine rollout should ramp up to 200,000 doses each day.
Professor Booy said there remained question marks on the rollout.
“We’ve identified very well who could get it, but when and how is very unclear to GPs and others at the forefront.”
Mr Hunt also confirmed federal biosecurity powers have been renewed for another three months until mid-June, which gives the government the ability to limit such things as cruise ship movement and international travel.
It comes as the Business Council of Australia calls for the vaccine rollout to determine when restrictions ease in a bid to stop snap border closures that it says cost Australia $2.1 billion a month.
Australia recorded no locally acquired cases of coronavirus on Tuesday.
Like this story? Here’s where else you can find SBS News content and follow us:
SBS News website: Save our website sbs.com.au/news as a favourite.
