The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Australia has begun

[Lynda2475]

That is assuming you think NSW is likely to “eliminate” community transmission or give up on elimination prior to reaching 70%. I don’t think the Premier has decided to let it rip.

Reducing some restrictions prior to reaching 70% is not letting it rip.

The Premier has said retrictions will be eased progressively from 50%, its on the record. She has already demonstrated a preference for targetad restrictions . When new cases are at more manageable levels, we will get more freedoms we do not have to wait til 70% to be able to dine out.

The PM also stated today that his roadmap is about need to impose lockdowns and not about criteria for being released from one.

You may want NSW completely locked down indefinitely, thankfully the Premier understands that restrictions need to match the risk over time.

 

[Pom-DownUnder]

Any legislation for vaccination requirements need a hard sunset date imo, if you want to go heavy handed to ensure compliance while its raging i dont agree but will go along. But three years from now the government needs to be out of everyones lives and not demanding people show their papers to go and get a schooner

 

[mviy]

I never said I want NSW locked down indefinitely. I expressed skepticism about easing of restrictions if the case numbers don’t go down before hitting 70% vaccination. Some areas of SYD shouldn‘t be in lockdown with zero cases. The blunt way lockdowns are applied lacks common sense.

One would think having to extend every 3 months like the international travel ban, except with parliamentary approval could be appropriate for vaccination requirements, but we will see what happens.

 

[Lynda2475]

I expressed skepticism about easing of restrictions

Claiming we want to "let it rip", is a little stronger than skepticism.

One would think having to extend every 3 months like the international travel ban, except with parliamentary approval could be appropriate for vaccination requirements, but we will see what happens.

State Health orders in NSW (to restrict movements, mask mandates etc) do not require a State of Emmergency declaration nor any Parliamentry approval.

The PM can't legislate state health orders either that is why they are seeking a consensus to the plan but can't enforce it. The feds can only control internationla borders, not state borders.

 

[burmans]

I never said I want NSW locked down indefinitely. I expressed skepticism about easing of restrictions if the case numbers don’t go down before hitting 70% vaccination. Some areas of SYD shouldn‘t be in lockdown with zero cases. The blunt way lockdowns are applied lacks common sense.

One would think having to extend every 3 months like the international travel ban, except with parliamentary approval could be appropriate for vaccination requirements, but we will see what happens.

Yeah, but this seems like total speculation. I’d express skepticism about easing of restrictions if case numbers don’t go down before hitting 70% infection too but feel the likelihood of that is negligible. Vaccination of 70% probably isn’t enough to eliminate Covid to the extent some would like but equally to suggest it will have no effect seems fanciful.

 

[mviy]

The vaccine rollout again features prominently on tomorrow's Front Pages including:

Herald Sun: "We could reach 80% jabbed by mid-November" - "Sprint to Summer" - "Australia could have 80% of adults vaccinated before summer, new modelling shows. It comes as data reveals Melbourne's northwest and west are lagging the rest of Victoria in the vaccination uptake"

The Australian: "Needles Swing to under 40s" - "A revised vaccine strategy will fast-track jabs for adults under 40"

The Australian: "Holdout health chief flags a shift on AZ"

The Age: "Melbourne's west lags in vaccination rates"

Financial Review: "Deaths part of living with the virus" - the article shows modelling of expected deaths for different vaccination rates.

Financial Review: "AZ matches Pfizer to fight serious illness" - saving lives and secondly reducing the incidence of serious illness are the key reason for vaccination and on both those measures AZ delivers. People should go and get AZ, especially if they can't get Pfizer.

 

[OATEK]

Our local area is getting well along the vaccine path with 48.9% first jabs and 22.5% second jabs

NSW

Sydney-Sutherland

Capital city

48.9

22.5

39.8

From the Australian citing Australian Health Department.

 

[NM]

All other over 50-69s have been eligible for vaccination since the start of May. The advice re Pfizer for 50-59s changed in June (and they were immediately able to register for that instead, but could still choose to get AZ). So they have had 3 full months to book and get an AZ jab.

Note this thread is about the vaccine roll-out in Australia, not just in NSW or in Sydney. While your statement maybe true for NSW or Sydney, it most certainly is not correct and extremely misleading for people who reside in other states/cities. Please don't lump all Australians under the process that operates in NSW.

My own circumstances, living in South-East Queensland, do not match your stated "facts". I am in the 50-59 category of group 2. I became eligible for vaccination in May as you stated. However, being eligible and being available are two completely different things. I had a GP booking to receive first dose of AZ in June. 2 days before that appointment the recommendation for under 60s to receive Pfizer was announced and my GP booking was changed from a AZ vaccination to a general check-up with my GP. My GP continues to only offer AZ generally to over 60s, and only to under 60s if there is a medical reason not to wait for Pfizer - I had that discussion.

So I immediately registered with Qld Health (Register your interest to receive a vaccine). According to the Qld Health on-line registration system I am eligible for Pfizer, but they will not have any availability until October, at which time they will contact me with a URL link to make a booking. I expect to be "double-dipped" with Pfizer some time in November.

So please stop the false rhetoric that 50-59 year olds have had 3 full months to book and get a jab. I am not even able to make a booking yet, let alone receive a vaccination. Some have had that opportunity, but certainly not all as you have incorrectly stated so many times in this thread.

 

[TonyHancock]

So please stop the false rhetoric that 50-59 year olds have had 3 full months to book and get a jab. I am not even able to make a booking yet, let alone receive a vaccination. Some have had that opportunity, but certainly not all as you have incorrectly stated so many times in this thread.

I had no idea this was the case - it is bizarre - as a non-resident in the US I can book an appointment at pretty much any pharmac_ and have any one of the Pfizer, Moderna or Janssen vaccinations immediately. (Just checked it is 6:40 PM here and I can get vaccinated tonight!) It is not even age dependent.

All free of charge and no paperwork required.

 

[pagingjoan]

Note this thread is about the vaccine roll-out in Australia, not just in NSW or in Sydney. While your statement maybe true for NSW or Sydney, it most certainly is not correct and extremely misleading for people who reside in other states/cities. Please don't lump all Australians under the process that operates in NSW.

My own circumstances, living in South-East Queensland, do not match your stated "facts". I am in the 50-59 category of group 2. I became eligible for vaccination in May as you stated. However, being eligible and being available are two completely different things. I had a GP booking to receive first dose of AZ in June. 2 days before that appointment the recommendation for under 60s to receive Pfizer was announced and my GP booking was changed from a AZ vaccination to a general check-up with my GP. My GP continues to only offer AZ generally to over 60s, and only to under 60s if there is a medical reason not to wait for Pfizer - I had that discussion.

So I immediately registered with Qld Health (Register your interest to receive a vaccine). According to the Qld Health on-line registration system I am eligible for Pfizer, but they will not have any availability until October, at which time they will contact me with a URL link to make a booking. I expect to be "double-dipped" with Pfizer some time in November.

So please stop the false rhetoric that 50-59 year olds have had 3 full months to book and get a jab. I am not even able to make a booking yet, let alone receive a vaccination. Some have had that opportunity, but certainly not all as you have incorrectly stated so many times in this thread.

Agree that the false claims and repeated misrepresentations, about everyone in certain categories having had plenty of time and opportunity to be vaccinated, are tiresome in the extreme.

I won’t bore people with a repeated statement of my own circumstances, as a 1B, but having made concerted efforts for the earliest possible vaccinations, I am not quite there yet, with a double jab.

By the end of the week, that could - hopefully will - change. But one obstacle still to overcome.

And for many others, similar barriers have existed and continue to thwart plans.

So, those in more fortunate circumstances could please desist with the sweeping and much-repeated generalisations that fail to take into account actual experiences shared in these threads.
Please.

 

[mviy]

It’s a clear objective fact that most people over 18 have had plenty of time for at least one dose. If rejected for AZ by one GP without a good reason just find another that will give it to you. Very few have health reasons that they need to wait for Pfizer.

I’m in 2B and had no problems at all getting AZ other than my local GP didn’t have any vaccine appointments available till the Monday following the change in eligibility. That’s over 4 weeks ago now.

 

[moa999]

Their decision to use "Statistical Areas" rather than LGAs or suburbs is annoying makes it very hard to cross check numbers, but unsurprisingly the lowest rates (below the state and national average) coincide with the 8 LGAs of concern.

The 70% and 80% targets are for adults, but this report lazily uses census grouping for 15 and above (instead of the medicare data) which will skew numbers too.

And I suspect part of that is due to age groups in those areas. Less 50+ who've had greatest access to the vaccine, and more 18-40s whove had almost none.

 

[Port Power]

I had no idea this was the case - it is bizarre - as a non-resident in the US I can book an appointment at pretty much any pharmac_ and have any one of the Pfizer, Moderna or Janssen vaccinations immediately. (Just checked it is 6:40 PM here and I can get vaccinated tonight!) It is not even age dependent.

All free of charge and no paperwork required.

Although there is an abundance of AZ available, Pfizer is in short supply. The latter is imported, not made in Australia like AZ. There is still hesitancy by many for AZ unfortunately.

 

[NM]

I had no idea this was the case - it is bizarre - as a non-resident in the US I can book an appointment at pretty much any pharmac_ and have any one of the Pfizer, Moderna or Janssen vaccinations immediately. (Just checked it is 6:40 PM here and I can get vaccinated tonight!) It is not even age dependent.

All free of charge and no paperwork required.

The issue here in Qld is the availability of Pfizer, which is expected to become more available from October. Current supplies are still being used to complete Group 1a/1b and for second doses for those already jabbed once - which is the correct policy, of course.

My current concern about the October expected time-frame for my QLD-based cohort being able to receive a jab is the recent news that the Qld State Government has identified children in remote communities as being "at risk" and it looks like they may be prioritising Pfizer supplies for those vulnerable people over other groups in the community, which may mean the expected October availability for 40-59 year olds (Group 2) in SEQ may be pushed back further.

While I agree and acknowledge that children and adults in remote communities are "at risk", I would like to see the actual statistics relating to the proportion of the various population cohorts that have been infected and how that feeds into the decision about vaccination priorities. I expect there has been a higher proportion of residents (of any specific age group) in the Brisbane and surrounding LGAs who have been infected than residents of "remote communities". However, I know very well that such decisions are not based on statistics or logic, but on "political correctness" and what is perceived as "doing the right thing" by our elected representatives.

There seems to be an ongoing redefinition of the prioritisation of who receives the limited supply of Pfizer, which is pushing some groups down the list and other groups up the list. But at the end of the day (yell, maybe I shoudl should say end of the year), we will all have the opportunity to be vaccinated. It will take a little time. The key is that as of today, not everyone has been able to receive it and when we are able to receive it, in whatever order our leaders deem appropriate, we should take it. And those who have not yet had the opportunity to receive it should not be made to feel bad by those who have had the opportunity - some things are outside our individual control in some parts of the country.

 

[Seat0B]

Some have had that opportunity, but certainly not all as you have incorrectly stated so many times in this thread.

Yes, @NM, just what I was thinking. We are in the ACT, and aged 60 and 63. We also had to wait a couple of weeks to get a booking to receive the AZ because the state run hubs were busy, the booking system crashed and then there was the disarray to all because of the changing recommendations re AZ. Bookings were closed here for all age groups for a couple of days while they sorted it out. Despite this, we were reasonably prompt - my hubby more so than me. Mr Seat0A got his on 3 June (had to wait just 2 days to get the booking at a GP led respiratory clinic). I took a bit longer to think it through and wanted to discuss with my GP - I had to wait 10 days for the GP appointment and then nearly 3 weeks for the shot and got mine on 23 June. So we won’t both be fully vaxxed until the end of September.

Edit: typos

 

[lovetravellingoz]

On the modelling..

On National Cabinet's roadmap out of lockdowns​

As for National Cabinet's roadmap away from lockdowns with 70 and 80 per cent of people vaccinated, Professor Doherty said it was important to have targets to aim for.​

​

But nothing was set in concrete, he added.​

​

"As time goes by, the models adapt. So models are constantly being refined," he said.​

​

"They're not the 10 Commandments handed down to Moses by God.​

"They're basically models. It's intelligence gathering, intelligence speculation."​

And looking at the TTIQ you can get widely varying outcomes from the that modelling. So anyone looking at any of those % steps as actually being a firm guide is kidding themselves.


The main thing that will count in terms of what the restriction levels are at any time is the number who become severely ill and require hospitalisation, ICU and those who unfortunately die.

 

[Seat0B]

I had no idea this was the case - it is bizarre - as a non-resident in the US I can book an appointment at pretty much any pharmac_ and have any one of the Pfizer, Moderna or Janssen vaccinations immediately. (Just checked it is 6:40 PM here and I can get vaccinated tonight!) It is not even age dependent.

All free of charge and no paperwork required.

I think you can probably see why our vaccine roll out is being described as a debacle, then! It Is certainly NOT like that here. Personally, I think it was deliberately designed to delay or suppress demand because there was an insufficient supply of vaccine. Along with thoughtless comments like “it’s not a race”, constant changing of rules/recommendations/age groups, and sensationalist media reporting. The problem is, these attitudes have become entrenched and people now face hurdles getting their shots, and feel hesitant and confused by the official messaging. Debacle indeed.

 

[mviy]

If you expect to have to wait till October to get Pfizer/Moderna there’s little reason to not get AZ now unless you have a rare health condition that means you shouldn’t take AZ. If you take AZ now then in 4 weeks you have the option to take the 2nd dose if there’s a bad outbreak well before you could get a first dose of Pfizer/Moderna.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

If you expect to have to wait till October to get Pfizer/Moderna there’s little reason to not get AZ now unless you have a rare health condition that means you shouldn’t take AZ. If you take AZ now then in 4 weeks you have the option to take the 2nd dose if there’s a bad outbreak well before you could get a first dose of Pfizer/Moderna.

In the Doherty modelling the comparison table of AZ and Pfizer effectiveness showed no meaningful difference.

 

[JB expat]

On the modelling..

On National Cabinet's roadmap out of lockdowns​

As for National Cabinet's roadmap away from lockdowns with 70 and 80 per cent of people vaccinated, Professor Doherty said it was important to have targets to aim for.​

​

But nothing was set in concrete, he added.​

​

"As time goes by, the models adapt. So models are constantly being refined," he said.​

​

"They're basically models. It's intelligence gathering, intelligence speculation."​

And looking at the TTIQ you can get widely varying outcomes from the that modelling. So anyone looking at any of those % steps as actually being a firm guide is kidding themselves.


The main thing that will count in terms of what the restriction levels are at any time is the number who become severely ill and require hospitalisation, ICU and those who unfortunately die.

As harsh as it sounds, once everyone who can have a vaccine has a chance to, the numbers in the hospital and deaths should not count in terms of “the plan” and if there is an undue burden to the healthcare system, those with Covid should go to the bottom. There should be a max number of Covid beds in a limited number of hospitals chosen based on geography and population, and once they are full, no hospital access to save beds and bandwidth for other medical needs (and breakthrough Covid cases and those who are medically unable to get the vaccine). At some point, the harsh reality of the consequences of one's choice when it comes to getting the vaccine must come into play.