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Coronavirus Australia live: update on AstraZeneca Covid vaccine recommends under-50s only be given Pfizer jab Coronavirus Australia live: update on AstraZeneca Covid vaccine recommends under-50s only be given Pfizer jab
(32 minutes later)
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The Greens’ health spokeswoman, Rachel Siewert, has issued a statement.
She says:
It’s also worth underlining that when Morrison was asked when we can expect the new timetable, he said:
The press conference has now finished.
Just to return to some comments from the prime minister earlier.
He said repeatedly he could not say what the impact would be on the broader rollout, but that the effect on its early stages would be less significant.
This is because it’s mostly people over 50 getting the vaccine. However, they are not the only people getting the vaccine.
The eligibility for phase 1b, according to the Department of Health, is:
Elderly people aged 70 and over
Healthcare workers currently employed and not included in phase 1a
Household contacts of quarantine and border workers
Critical and high-risk workers who are currently employed
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 55 years and over
Adults with an underlying medical condition or significant disability
Morrison ends with some new figures on the roll out: as of Wednesday, there had been 996,214 doses administered.
Kelly confirms Australia has seen only one case of blood clots after a person received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Hunt is asked about possible import problems with Pfizer. He says:
It’s also noted – and this is important – that the advice can change based on the Covid situation.
That is, if there is a significant outbreak – like we saw in Victoria – that could impact the “risk-and-benefit equation”.
Question: Will all Australians get at least one jab by the end of this year? And if we were to see another Melbourne-style, Victorian-style outbreak, would you change your advice to encourage younger people to get theAstraZeneca vaccine?
Morrison says he can’t answer.
Does he have a “rough timetable”?
Morrison emphasises it will have little impact on the initial stage of the rollout. That is because older people are among the first who will be vaccinated.
The key question – and the one Morrison says it is too early to answer – is what impact this will have on the latter stages, when people under 50 are set to get their jabs.
Morrison then returns to a theme he has been increasingly emphasising in recent days:
The point he was making is that “when we have indicated these types of markers, we have always qualified them by saying that is subject to the events that may occur”.
Morrison is asked on the key questions many of you will be wondering about: what does this mean for the speed of the rollout?Morrison is asked on the key questions many of you will be wondering about: what does this mean for the speed of the rollout?
He says:He says:
Murphy says the government will be sending “preliminary information tonight will go out to all of our vaccination providers, and we’ll provide new information over coming days”. Murphy says the government will be sending “preliminary information” to all its vaccination providers tonight and “we’ll provide new information over coming days”.
A journalist notes that Novavax is still in the approvals process with the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Where is that up to?A journalist notes that Novavax is still in the approvals process with the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Where is that up to?
Murphy says:Murphy says:
Brendan Murphy is asked about vaccine supply. Can CSL also produce Novavax? What impact will this have on the production of AstraZeneca.
Murphy says:
The prime minister insists he is speaking tonight to say “we’re being very up-front with you”
Morrison says that this was “unforeseen”.
Morrison adds:
Kelly insists there is “definitely a tendency for it [blood clots] to be in younger people, and we’re still working out what the mechanism might be for why this is occurring”.
He says “it most likely seems to be an immune reaction probably to the immunovirus of the AstraZeneca vaccine”.
Morrison fleshes out the meaning of the recommendations. He says:
Just return to some early comments from Paul Kelly, which are important.
He says of the instances of blood clots from the AstraZeneca vaccine:
Morrison also refers to a “recalibration” of the vaccine program.
Greg Hunt notes Australia already has 20m Pfizer vaccines, which are due this year, and were “reconfirmed with the head of Pfizer Australia today”.
Here is Murphy on the ramifications for the rollout.
Murphy says there are 51m Novavax coming later in the year, and authorities are “looking at when we can bring other vaccines forward”.
He suggests Australia’s vaccine portfolio was always diverse but adds: “We will have to replan the prioritisation of the program, replan – with the states and territories, who are our partners in this endeavour – how we will deliver vaccines. And we’ll have to comeback at a later stage with better estimates on when things in each phase will be completed.”