Greg Hunt, Australian Health Minister has assured that nation’s Covid-19 vaccination drive will begin from next Monday as the first batch containing about 142,000 doses of the approved Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has arrived in the country.
- Australia’s covid vaccination drive to begin next Monday
- Australia received its 142,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine
- Phase 1 to include aged health care workers and residents.
- Health Minister Hunt promises to begin rollout next week
- Prime Minister assures that the whole vaccination drive has been well planned for.
Hunt spoke to the media and said that the vaccines have landed in Sydney in the evening of past Monday and is set to go through high-level security and quality-assurance processes, which include batch testing, to check the safety and immune response before the rollout begins on February 22.
ALSO READ:-Vaccination of those above 50 three weeks from now: Union Health Minister
Expressing high spirits, he said that the day marks another important milestone as we have received the first batch of vaccines and that next week with the first vaccines rollout shall mark an even more important milestone. Hunt added that with these milestones events, we assure to give the Australians hope and protection from the ongoing pandemic.”
The federal government promised that it will keep approximately 62,000 doses of the initial shipment aside for the second instalment of vaccination drive. The inoculated recipients will be about thirty thousand out of which majority shall be aged care workers and residents, and that the remaining 50,000 doses are planned to be divided between the states and territories judging by the population statistics.
ALSO READ:-2nd Corona Vaccination drive begins in Telangana state
The Australian Health Minister has expected that the first phase of the vaccine’s rollout might take six weeks.The recipients of the Phase 1 of the vaccination drive will include elderly aged health care workers, vulnerable and individuals at high risk residing in aged care facilities, border staff, hotel quarantine workers, and essential health care workers.
The federal government will be controlling the vaccination rollout for elderly aged care residents and staff. However, Hunt said that although federal government controls the rollout, it would eventually be up to the states to decide which set of individuals from that phase would be taking priority.
ALSO READ:-India ranks 3rd among nations with maximum Covid vaccination coverage
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also gave a statement that it was a historic day for the Australian continent.The Prime Minister addressing the Speaker of the House, added that this vaccination drive shall be part of one of the largest logistics steps ever undertaken by this country and assured that it has been well planned for.
