Most Australians will wait until winter for jab — so when can you get the vaccine? - NEWS.com.au

The majority of Australians will have to wait until winter to get the COVID-19 jab, which means snap border closures and social distancing are likely to continue for most of the year.

Scott Morrison has outlined a fast-tracked timetable for the COVID-10 vaccine that will see the frontline border control and hotel quarantine workers getting the jab first from February.

But what does the new schedule mean for every Australian including children, under 50s and pregnant women?

The short answer is children in particular could be left off the vaccination timetable for some time, until further tests confirm it’s safe.

However, the Prime Minister has outlined the broad priorities of the vaccination timetable that should give you a clearer picture of when you are likely to receive the jab. To find out where you fit into that timetable, read on.

Phase 1 - hotel quarantine workers, frontline healthcare workers, aged care

The first in the queue for the vaccine in February are hotel quarantine workers, border control officers and those dealing directly with international travellers and their transportation to hotel quarantine.

From mid-February the Pfizer vaccine will be rolled out to those most at risk of contracting COVID in hospitals around Australia.

In the first week the Morrison Government hopes to vaccinate 80,000 people, which would largely give protection to this cohort in just seven days.

The next priority is vaccinating 100,000 frontline health care workers, a task the government hopes can be completed by the end of February if all goes to plan.

There are also an estimated 300,000 aged care workers who will then be vaccinated in March as the rollout ramps up.

Finally, nearly 200,000 aged care residents will be vaccinated at aged care facilities.

The vaccine will be rolled out in ‘”hubs” in 30 to 50 hospitals partly to help keep the Pfizer vaccine at freezing temperatures.

“Those hub locations will be determined by the states and territories in partnership with the Commonwealth and they will deliver some vaccines to those frontline border worker, quarantine workers, frontline healthcare workers and become a distribution site for the outreach teams that will go into residential aged care and into disability care to deliver those vaccines to that initial priority population,’’ Health Department chief Brendan Murphy said.

Phase Two - March and April - Over 70s, police and emergency workers, disabled people

The second phase of the rollout is likely to begin in earnest in March and involves rolling out 14 million doses of the vaccine to around six million Australians.

First in line will be seniors including the over 80s, before the jab is offered to over 70s who do not live in aged care homes.

The vaccine is likely to be offered in respiratory clinics across Australia as new vaccines come online that are more ‘stable’ at higher temperatures.

During this phase the vaccine will also be offered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged over 55.

Police, emergency services workers and other health workers will also be offered the jab throughout April and the weeks that follow.

Phase Three - Over 60s, over 50s, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and other high risk groups

The Government hasn’t offered a timetable for these third and final phases of the vaccine rollout. But it’s unlikely to commence until May or June.

We do know the vaccines will be offered to retirees aged over 60 before it is also rolled out to over 50s and other high risk groups.

“We will tell you timetables when we can have confidence in those timetables and we will continue to update those timetables as more important is known and as improvements continue

to be made,’’ the Prime Minister said.

“We know what we know and we’ll base our information and our timetables on that rather than speculating. This is going as quickly and as safely as possible.

Phase Four - Adults aged under 50

The next phase of the rollout will extend the vaccine to the existing adult population aged under 50.

It will also allow the 20 million Australians already vaccinated to receive the second dose of the vaccine around one month after they receive the first jab.

Once the at risk groups are vaccinated there’s only around 6 million Australians left to vaccinate under the plan.

Phase Five - Teenagers and children

The final phase of the vaccination program is teenagers and children but at this stage it’s not clear when or if that will happen.

“We will go on to cover the rest of the general population and the very last group that we might consider is children,’’ Professor Murphy said.

“We know children are at the lowest risk of getting COVID and transmitting COVID and the vaccines currently haven’t been properly tested in children and that will be the last group that we’ll consider

in the fifth phase.”

One final piece of good news: the vaccine will be offered free to all Australians with the government working to ensure it does not involve GP fees or a cost at the pharmacy.

“We can guarantee that the vaccine will be free and it will be delivered free,’’ Professor Murphy said.

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2021-01-07 09:38:10Z
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