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Watch LIVE: Queensland Premier provides COVID-19 update
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is due to speak in Queensland from 2.15pm AEST.
‘We need to be ready’: NSW can switch between vaccines at hubs
By Megan Gorrey
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says all the state’s vaccination hubs will be capable of administering each different type of vaccine against COVID-19.
The state government plans to open a mass vaccination hub at Sydney Olympic Park, in addition to 100 state-run vaccination clinics across the state.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Credit:Nine
Ms Berejiklian said on Friday that health authorities would be “able to interchange what vaccine is used” at the clinics.
“If there’s suddenly a supply chain of vaccines that the Commonwealth tells us about, we’re able to administer them safely through our hubs,” she said.
“Obviously we need time to adjust in terms of the type of vaccine and what it means, the Pfizer vaccine requires refrigeration, the others don’t.”
Ms Berejiklian said the NSW vaccination rollout had always been dependent on the supply of vaccines – which she said had so far been “lumpy”.
“One week, for example, we were advised we’d get 13,000 doses and we ended up with 45,000.
“The other challenge for us is operationally you can’t just create a mass vaccination hub overnight, it takes weeks of planning. We need to be ready.”
The mass vaccination hub will be capable of inoculating 40,000 people a week against COVID-19. The government says it will be up and running within a couple of months.
Queensland to continue administering AstraZeneca vaccine
By Lydia Lynch
Queensland will continue to administer AstraZeneca as it waits for a greater and more consistent supply of Pfizer.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the vaccine rollout in Queensland was still “business as usual”.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Credit:Jono Searle/Getty
The federal government on Thursday night advised Pfizer was now the preferred vaccine for adults younger than 50.
Ms Palaszczuk could not say how the revised advice would affect the timing of the rollout.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said both AstraZeneca and Pfizer were “good vaccines” and encouraged adults older than 50 continue to accept either jab.
“We do not know when we will have an outbreak of COVID-19, we have to be prepared,” she said.
She said those younger than 50 could still receive AstraZeneca if they wished and told people to weigh up the risk with their GP.
Dr Young said GPs may soon be able to administer the Pfizer vaccine as new evidence shows it no longer needs to be kept at minus 70 degrees.
Watch LIVE: Queensland Premier provides COVID-19 update
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is due to speak in Queensland from 2.15pm AEST.
Government in talks with CSL about capacity to produce other vaccines
By Katina Curtis
Asked whether CSL should switch to making the Novavax vaccine instead, Dr Brendan Murphy said Australia still needs significant quantities of AstraZeneca to protect people aged over 70 and finish the program already started.
“At the moment, CSL is making AstraZeneca. We need it and our elderly Australians need to have it in their arms,” he said.
He said the government was in discussion with CSL about whether it could produce other vaccines but, for now, it could only make one type at a time.
Australia’s doses of Novavax are expected to start arriving from overseas between July and September.
Mr Morrison said the government was not in a position yet to confirm the timetable of the recalibrated vaccination rollout.
Asked whether he could give people certainty that all adult Australians would have at least one dose by Christmas, the Prime Minister said he wasn’t in a position yet to be able to do that.
AstraZeneca vaccinations resume in NSW Health clinics
By Sarah McPhee
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says NSW Health has resumed administering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
“The only reason we took a pause this morning was to update all of our clinicians,” she said.
“As of a few hours ago, everybody over 50 years of age is continuing to receive the vaccine in NSW and from Monday, those under 50 who choose to have the vaccine can do so.”
Ms Berejiklian, who turned 50 in September 2020, said she intends to get her second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. She received her first dose in March 2021.
She said the best advice from health officials was those who have not had an adverse reaction to their first AstraZeneca vaccine dose can get the second dose.
During the pause this morning, the vaccination consent forms were also updated, the NSW Premier said.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said they had taken action to make people aware of the blood clot side effect and the associated symptoms.
Watch LIVE: NSW Premier provides COVID-19 update
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant are providing a COVID-19 update from 2pm AEST. You can watch it live below:
Pfizer doses will expand in April ahead of ‘near-doubling’: Hunt
By Katina Curtis
In terms of when the Pfizer vaccines will be available for Australians, Health Minister Greg Hunt said the numbers would expand in April, significantly expand again in May and from July there is expected to be a “near-doubling”.
The company has asked the government to stick with indicative timing at this point, but Mr Hunt said they were working to bring forward as many doses as possible.
PM says his mother will get AstraZeneca vaccine
By Katina Curtis
Mr Morrison said his mother, Marion Morrison, would be receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“She told me she is booked in and she is looking forward to having her AstraZeneca vaccine and she was pretty happy for me to tell people about that,” he said.
“These are conversations that families have. My family is no different. We had it and she is off to the doctor.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison with his late father John and mother Marion.
Health department secretary Brendan Murphy – who also had the AstraZeneca vaccine – said he had “absolute complete confidence” the vaccine was highly effective, highly recommended and safe for people aged over 50.
“This condition is seen more commonly in younger people and the risk of COVID … as you are over 50 exponentially increases. The ratio of benefit to risk is massively in favour of getting vaccinated,” he said.
Leaders seek advice to further open up Australia: PM
By Katina Curtis
Leaders have asked the medical expert panel to come up with thresholds for how much of the population would need to be vaccinated for Australia to start travelling overseas and return without having to go into hotel quarantine, and whether travel bubble arrangements can be set up with other low-risk countries.
“No one is saying that any of those things are coming in today but what we are working and planning for and have tasked the medical professionals who advise us on is what are the marks we have to meet to enable us to start opening up Australia more than we are now?” Mr Morrison said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison at this afternoon’s press conference.Credit:APH
“We want to open up more, we want to do it safely, we want to ease restrictions, we want to do that in a consistent way across the country and we want to do that because we know we are not just managing the health but we are managing the economics as well for people’s livelihoods and wellbeing.”
Leaders also agreed to new COVID-safe rules that all restrictions on venues should be eased to allow one person per two square metres and that large ticketed and seated gatherings can operate at 100 per cent capacity.
Rollout remains focused on first phase, daily vaccination data to be released
By Katina Curtis
The Prime Minister said the vaccine rollout would continue to focus on phases 1A and 1B and the government was hoping to continue at the pace already set out.
“This is important because the goal here is to protect the most vulnerable in our community. If we want to treat COVID-19 like the flu then we need to ensure that we’re vaccinating those in our community who are most vulnerable,” he said.
He also committed to releasing updated data about the vaccine rollout daily.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the basic settings of the vaccine rollout were “largely unchanged” for phases 1A, 1B and 2A.
“With regards to phase 1B, this is the over 70s and the over 80s and the over 55 Indigenous Australians. All of those can continue to receive, with the strongest medical advice, the AstraZeneca,” he said.
“For those who may be immunocompromised or front-line workers who are under 50, then right now we are working with the states and territories and the medical authorities to revise that part of the program so as they have access to Pfizer. That will take time.”
More than a million doses of vaccine have now been delivered.