Finance Minister Simon Birmingham promises Pfizer vaccine for under-40s 'within months' but refuses to set date - ABC News

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has assured younger Australians they will get access to the Pfizer vaccine within months or "even sooner" but has refused to set a date.

Key points:

• Senator Birmingham said Pfizer vaccine supplies would double to an average of 600,000 doses a week
• Anthony Albanese said the minister’s failure to reveal a date demonstrates government "incompetence"
• Pfizer is the recommended vaccine for people under 60 years of age

Senator Birmingham said there would be a "marked step up" in supplies of the Pfizer vaccine this month, with quantities doubling to an average of 600,000 doses a week.

"Young Australians should have confidence that they will see a full opening up in the months to come," he told the ABC's Insiders program.

"That may even be sooner than months."

However, when pressed on a precise date, Senator Birmingham could not provide a timeline.

"There is not a fixed date that I can give you now," he said.

The Pfizer jab is the recommended vaccine for people under 60 years of age, however Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week caused confusion after he announced anyone under the age of 40 could approach their GP and request the AstraZeneca innoculation.

Since then, around 7,500 people between 18 and 39 have received the jab, which the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation believes should only be administered to older cohorts due to the increased risk of a rare blood clotting disorder in younger people.

Catch up on the main COVID-19 news from July 4 with a look back at our blog

Lack of timeline slammed

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said the minister's failure to reveal a date for when people under 40 could expect to get Pfizer demonstrated government "incompetence".

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"The fact that we are last in the developed world in the rollout of the vaccine and ensuring our citizens are fully vaccinated comes down to a failure of the government to plan," he said.

"That's what happens when you think it's not a race, when you think you can be complacent and sit back and boast about how well you are going."

Mr Albanese also took aim at a four-phase plan unveiled last week, that lacks vaccination targets and timelines.

"The fact is the rest of the world is opening up and Australia continues to be locked down in large part, and that's a direct result of the failure of the government on two issues — on failing to roll out the vaccine effectively and put in place appropriate fit-for-purpose quarantine facilities," he said.

The federal government has tasked the Doherty Institute with working out what percentage of the population should be vaccinated before each new stage of the plan is triggered and restrictions eased.

When asked for his view on an achievable threshold, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said he would like to see as many people immunised as possible.

“Even with very high levels of vaccination … you can still get significant outbreaks and transmission of COVID-19 occurring, so there is no magic figure available at the moment as to what the threshold may or may not be,” he said.

Hotel quarantine 'has its limits'

Senator Birmingham defended the hotel quarantine system, describing it as a "very successful model to date", but he said the risk posed by the more transmissible Delta strain prompted state and territory leaders to cut the overseas passenger intake.

"Hotel quarantine has worked incredibly well as a means of returning Australians in very difficult circumstances, but of course we have limits in terms of what can be maintained," he said.

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National Cabinet last week agreed to halve the cap on overseas passengers on commercial flights down to a weekly intake of 3,035 to ease the burden on hotel quarantine.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has publicly expressed her disappointment with the decision, saying limiting the number of Australians allowed to return home will not stop outbreaks or "mistakes".

Senator Birmingham said fewer international arrivals meant fewer positive cases.

"This decision is one that just deals with the reality of the fact that the risk profile changes as we continue to move through this pandemic," he said.

"We would all wish that we weren't facing the changed equation in terms of the Delta variant, but it is there, it is a reality.

"It's important that we continue to do all we can to suppress COVID across Australia to save those lives and save those jobs whilst we proceed through the vaccine rollout."

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA3LTA0L3NpbW9uLWJpcm1pbmdoYW0tcGZpemVyLXZhY2NpbmUtdW5kZXItNDBzLWFudGhvbnktYWxiYW5lc2UvMTAwMjY2Njcw0gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMDI2NjY3MA?oc=5

2021-07-04 04:04:13Z
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