Vaccine jab fast-track

PM’s February plan for high priority groups

COVID-19 vaccines will be rolled out across Australia from February for the highest priority groups, including frontline workers and aged care residents and staff.

Australians aged 70 and older will be in the second group to get the vaccine, according to a plan unveiled by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday.

Mr Morrison said it had taken “considerable effort”, including from vaccine suppliers, to fast-track the rollout to midto-late February, rather than March.

“It is moving considerably faster than normal vaccination approval processes would occur in Australia, but without skipping a step, without cutting a corner, ensuring that everything that needs to be ticked is ticked along the way,” Mr Morrison said.

Critical and high-risk workers such as defence, police, fire, emergency services and meat processing workers will also be in the second group to get the vaccine, along with Indigenous Australians aged 55 and older and younger adults with serious medical conditions.

The third group vaccinated will be Australians in their 60s and 50s, Indigenous Australians aged 18 to 54 and more critical and high-risk workers.

The remaining adult population will be vaccinated later in the year. Children will only get the jab “if recommended”, because the vaccinations have yet to be tested on people under age 18.

The government has repeatedly promised the vaccines will be voluntary, but Mr Morrison on Thursday acknowledged they may be made mandatory for some workers.

“That is an important discussion for the public health and safety that needs to be had with states and territories,” Mr Morrison said.

He warned vaccination was “not a silver bullet” and COVID-Safe practices would continue to be needed throughout 2021.

About 80,000 jabs are expected to be delivered each week, with a target of 4 million doses to be rolled out by the end of March. Vaccination hubs will be established at hospitals to deliver the shots initially, and then up to 1000 vaccine sites will be launched later this year.

Australia will get the Pfizer vaccine first, followed by the AstraZeneca vaccines.

Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy said the vaccines would be free, including zero costs for GP visits.

Mr Morrison and state premiers will also hold a special national cabinet today to discuss new measures to prevent the highly infectious UK Covid-19 strain from causing outbreaks in Australia.