The Australian Government has announced the COVID-19 Vaccine National Rollout Strategy. Earlier expected to begin in March, the rollout, according to an announcement by the Morrison government, is expected to begin from February itself.
Australia is aiming to complete Therapeutic Goods Administration approval of the Pfizer vaccine by late January, after which it will take up to two weeks to be delivered and up to a week for batch-testing. The AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to be approved in February.
The government has also outlined a five phase vaccination strategy, and aims to vaccinate up to 4 million people within March.
In Phase 1a, quarantine and border workers, frontline healthcare workers, aged care and disability staff, and aged care and disability care residents are expected to receive the vaccination. In Phase 1b, other vulnerable age groups will receive the vaccine, which includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are over 55.
In Phase 2 a and b, the general population will receive the vaccination. (Please refer to above diagram). Finally, in Phase 3, if recommended, minors under the age of 18 will receive the vaccination.
The vaccinations will be voluntary, however the Australian government has requested most Australians to have the jab. Vaccinations may be made compulsory for international flights, and could be a condition for re-entry into Australia.
The Phase 1 (a and b) are most likely to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, whereas later phases may be able to receive either Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
