The latest with the vaccine in Australia
When do I get the jab?
As you may have seen in yesterday’s edition of the newsletter, the Federal Government launched an online booking system for Phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccine. While there were some technical difficulties (error messages and booking issues) it was a big milestone in our country’s rollout. This next phase of the vaccine rollout is set to begin on Monday and will include:
- Elderly adults over 70
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults over 55
- Adults with a specified medical condition
- Other healthcare workers
- Critical and high risk workers (police, fire, emergency services etc)You can take an eligibility test to find out if you can get the jab in the current Phase 1B right here. If you’re found eligible after the test, you’ll be taken to a page where you can scroll through eligible GPs near you. If you’re getting brownie points and helping an elderly family member, you can also call 1800 020 080.
Taking a step back, where is Australia at with the rollout?
As of today, a little over 220,000 vaccinations have been administered in Australia which is a *tad* behind expectations set by the Government. The goal for the first week of the vaccination being available in Australia was to have 60,000 vaccines administered, but only 31,000 jabs occurred that week back in February. The goal for the end of March was 4 million. Had the trajectory gone to plan, Australia should have been sitting at a 2.2 million jab rate today. It’s all but likely the Government won’t reach this initial target, but the expected domestic production of the AstraZeneca vaccine soon should certainly speed the process up.
And if your ears have pricked up (or eyes? How does this work when you’re reading?) at the name AstraZeneca, we’ll leave you with what our Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said earlier this week: “I can absolutely say I remain confident in the AstraZeneca vaccine, that it is safe, and at this point there is no evidence that it causes blood clots”.