One in five Covid jabs in Australia are going spare due to a lack of interest in getting vaccinated amid growing criticisms of the country’s glacial vaccine rollout.
The most recent Covid-19 rollout update has shown that 19 per cent of vaccine doses available to the states have not yet been used, with Western Australia have the most jabs going spare.
These are intended to be used in aged care and disability homes, as well as for GPs to give to the elderly.
A total of 11.3 million vaccine doses have been distributed to Commonwealth-managed general practices and aged care and disability sites across the country.
A total of 4.3 million doses have been supplied to the states, and 6.5 million to general practice – yet only 7.3 million of these vaccines have been used.
The most recent Covid-19 rollout update has shown that 19 per cent of vaccine doses available to the states have not yet been used as experts warn demand will soon outweigh supply (pictured, a Sydney nurse is vaccinated)
According to new federal government data dose usage is the highest in New South Wales and Tasmania at 98 per cent, and lowest in Western Australia at 78 per cent
According to new federal government data, dose usage is the highest in New South Wales and Tasmania at 98 per cent, and lowest in Western Australia at 78 per cent.
The ACT came in at third place with dose usage at 94 per cent, followed by Victoria at 91 per cent, Queensland at 90 per cent, South Australia at 86 per cent and the Northern Territory at 81 per cent.
Vaccines administered was lowest in general practice at 74 per cent.
The report explained dose utilisation is the number of vaccines administered out of the total available, and it includes a small percentage for wasted doses.
Almost 7.4 million vaccine doses have been administered to date, but only a small fraction of people have received both jabs.
Five per cent of the Australian population are double-jabbed, compared to 46 per cent in the United States and 47 per cent in the United Kingdom.
A total of 4.3 million doses have been supplied to the Australian states, and 6.5 million to general practice, yet only 7.3million of these vaccines have been used (pictured, people queue for the vaccine in Sydney’s Homebush)
Five per cent of the Australian population is double-jabbed, compared to 46 per cent in the United States and 47 per cent in the United Kingdom
Israel has vaccinated almost 60 per cent of its population followed by Chile with almost 55 per cent, while almost half of Britons and Americans have rolled up their sleeves, according to a graph compiled by Our World in Data.
Australia is also trailing behind Latvia, Turkey, Mexico and Colombia and even New Zealand, which only uses the Pfizer jab.
Stephen Duckett, director of the health program at the Grattan Institute, told the ABC it didn’t come as a shock that state mass vaccination centres were more efficient than general practice.
‘If you’re doing 5,000 people a day, and you have five doses left over at the end of the day, it’s a far smaller proportion than doing 10 people a day’, he said.
A small centre like a general practice is almost inevitably going to have higher wastage.’
However Mr Duckett said the combination of mass vaccination centres and general practices were vital for an efficient rollout, as well as multiple education campaigns to target different age groups.
The health director warned supply would not meet demand in the coming months due to the current outbreaks, but this didn’t meant people couldn’t be educated in the meantime.
‘Obviously it’s better if they’ve got no supply problems, but we’ve got no supply problems for AstraZeneca and people are still not being vaccinated,’ he said.
A health director from the Grattan Institute has warned that vaccine supply will not meet demand in the coming months due to the current outbreaks (pictured, a nurse is jabbed at St Vincent’s in Sydney)
About 12 million Australians are under some form of lockdown restrictions after cases spread in Brisbane, Darwin, Perth and Sydney.(pictured, queues at Homebush on July 1)
The troubling data comes as pressure mounts on the federal government to make up for lost time in the country’s sluggish vaccine rollout.
With less than six per cent of the population fully vaccinated and the more infectious strain on the loose, Australia’s vaunted ‘zero Covid’ strategy – which allowed its economy to get back up and running last year – is on precarious ground.
About 12 million Australians are under some form of lockdown restrictions after cases spread in Brisbane, Darwin, Perth and Sydney.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Thursday a new pilot scheme would see mass vaccination centres set up across the state to deliver up to 200,000 jabs.
The huge vaccine hubs with ample supplies of the Pfizer vaccine will be built in Sydney CBD, Macquarie Fields in the city’s south-west, and in Wollongong.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Thursday a new pilot scheme would see mass vaccination centres set up across the state to deliver up to 200,000 jabs
The Sydney City clinic will be set up near public transportation hubs and open for extended hours to cater to CBD workers.
The pilot scheme will start on July 19 in small towns including Gulgong, Narromine, Walcha, Dungog, Dunedoo, and Merriwa.
Ms Berejiklian said the new centres were a ‘vital step’ to curtail the number of infections in the state, which increased by 24 on Thursday.
‘In NSW we have a sense of urgency about getting jabs in arms, because once the vast majority of our population is vaccinated, we can start a conversation about reaching a ‘Covid-normal’ state,’ she said.
More than 2.2 million doses have been administered in the state so far, with 850,000 of those through NSW Health.
The influx of Pfizer jabs comes after health advice that scared off millions from receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine due to fears of rare blood cots.
Prime Minister announced this week that anyone under 40 to get an AstraZeneca jab if they want to, despite earlier advice that younger people should get another vaccine
More than 2.2 million doses have been administered in New South Wales so far, the state currently battling the largest outbreak of the highly contagious Indian Delta variant
Only two people have died of a blood clot across the nation after 3.8million were inoculated with the vaccine, meaning a death rate of one in 1.9million.
Underlining the importance of jabs this week, it emerged that six vaccinated healthcare workers were the only guests at a ‘super spreader’ house party who did not contract the virus in Sydney two weeks ago.
Thirty people attended the birthday bash in the West Hoxton suburb, with 24 of the guests contracting the Delta variant, which led to numerous further contacts being traced across the city.
Mr Morrison, who is under fire for the glacial vaccine rollout, constant ‘circuit breakers’ and brutal border restrictions, chaired a national security committee on Monday before announcing that all care home workers must have a vaccine.
The PM also ordered mandatory jabs for anyone working, either directly or indirectly, in quarantine hotels – including airport private hire drivers.