Australia can consider ending lockdowns in about four months, once 50 per cent of people are vaccinated, and must accept some COVID-19 hospitalisations and deaths like it does for influenza, the federal government’s former deputy chief medical officer says.

Nick Coatsworth said rather than waiting for an 80 per cent adult vaccination rate suggested by some epidemiologists, Australia could rethink the value of lockdowns when half of all adults and most older people were vaccinated around November.