Australians over 50 are now eligible to get the AstraZeneca jab – bringing the country one step closer to meeting its Covid vaccine rollout targets
- From Monday people over 50 can receive the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine
- On May 17 the vaccination program under Phase 2b will be expanded to GPs
- Up to 15.8million doses of the jab are available for this part of the rollout
- Marise Payne rejected suggestions that blocking travellers from India was racist
Australia will begin a new phase to vaccinate people aged 50 years and over, bringing the nation closer to meeting Covid vaccine rollout targets.
From Monday, people aged 50 years and over can receive the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at general practice respiratory clinics and state and territory vaccination clinics.
On May 17, the vaccination program under Phase 2b will be expanded to GP surgeries.
Up to 15.8million doses are available for this part of the rollout, which includes catching up on any unvaccinated Australians from previous phases.
From Monday, people aged 50 years and over can receive the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at general practice respiratory clinics and state and territory vaccination clinics
On May 17, the vaccination program under Phase 2b will be expanded to GP surgeries
Meanwhile the federal government is standing firm on its threat to jail travellers trying to return from India.
With direct flights from India suspended due to the Asian nation’s Covid-19 crisis, travellers trying to take a different route home could face five years’ jail or a hefty fine.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Sunday rejected suggestions that blocking travellers from India was racist.
‘Absolutely not in any way,’ she said in Canberra.
‘We absolutely recognised the very, very difficult circumstances occurring in India right now.
‘The decision which has been made under the Biosecurity Act on the basis of the advice of the chief medical officer is a temporary pause on returns.’
Indirect routes via Doha, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore have also been closed off, with India’s daily Covid-19 case tally topping 400,000 on the weekend.
The Australian Human Rights Commission wants the Morrison government to prove that its decision to fine or jail Australians is ‘not discriminatory’.
Senior Labor frontbencher Brendan O’Connor said he was surprised the government is taking such a stance.
‘I believe that the ban on flights would be sufficient to prevent people coming back to Australia,’ Mr O’Connor told ABC’s Insiders program.
But Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan has backed the policy, which blocks incoming travel from India until at least May 15 when the decision will be reassessed.
Up to 15.8million doses are available for this part of the rollout, which includes catching up on any unvaccinated Australians from previous phases
More than 9000 Australians in India are registered as wanting to return, including 650 considered vulnerable. Pictured: a makeshift Covid care facility in a sports stadium in New Delhi
‘It is very harsh, it is very difficult, it is very unusual but we live in unusual times so yes, I do (support it),’ Mr McGowan said.
‘We are obviously in a dangerous world and we want to make sure we prevent the importation and the spread of the virus within Australia.’
More than 9000 Australians in India are registered as wanting to return, including 650 considered vulnerable.
Mr McGowan said he had been advised 4500 Australians had been allowed to travel to India for various reasons in the first three months of the year.
‘That was clearly was a mistake,’ he said.
Perth has avoided another lockdown but some restrictions have resumed after a hotel quarantine security guard and two of his housemates tested positive.
Authorities are continuing to track down close contacts of the three men.