Gladys Berejiklian reveals vaccination number for lockdown to end

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has revealed the number of vaccinations needed for lockdown to end. And how it can be done.

New South Wales could welcome new freedoms and a possible end of lockdowns within four weeks if a projected vaccination rate stays on track.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has forecast that changes to current health orders could be made once half of the state’s population had received a jab.

“We know that 10 million jabs gives us 80 per cent of the adult population vaccinated. By the end of August, I’d like to see New South Wales record 6 million jabs because every time we go through a milestone, 6 million jabs is roughly half the population with at least one or two doses,” she said.

“That gives us additional options as to what life looks like on August 29.

Vaccinating against Covid-19 is the only way for Australians to get their normal lives back, but as a nation we’re struggling. News.com.au’s Our Best Shot campaign answers your questions about the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

“On the current rate that we’re doing we should be able to get there with the jabs but it’s also important as our health experts tell us to make sure we concentrate those vaccination rates in those eight local government areas of concern, it will slow down the spread, reduce the case numbers.”

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She had previously said the government was looking at revising the health order if 50 or 60 per cent of the population were vaccinated.

At the time of publishing, NSW had administered 3,943,499 doses of covid vaccines. To reach 50 per cent of the vaccination rate NSW would need to have issued 6,571,428.

That means NSW would need to get through more than 100,000 vaccine doses a day between now and August 29.

Ms Berejiklian said on Monday that her government is aiming to increase the amount of vaccinations administered from 500,000 per week to 650,000.

This would mean the 50 per cent target would be hit in about four weeks.

If the numbers remained at the current rate of 500,000 it would take about five weeks to hit the target.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Picture: Joel Carrett-Pool/Getty Images

NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant. Picture: Joel Carrett-Pool/Getty Images

It comes as the Berejiklian government changed the rhetoric around the NSW lockdown focusing on vaccination rates rather than lower covid case numbers.

Nine Newspapers reported two senior NSW government sources said once the vaccination rates were to hit between 50 and 60 per cent, students would be able to return to face-to-face-learning, outdoor dining would be allowed for hospitality venues and gyms could reopen with strict covid-safe measures in place.

The 50 per cent figure was dissected by University of NSW epidemiologist Marylouise McLaws while appearing on Channel 10’s The Project on Monday.

“If you’re looking at adults between 16 years and over … they represent 80 per cent of the total population,” she explained.

“So 50 per cent of 80 per cent is 40 per cent of the total population. So basically … if you had a room full of people in a room, you would have an enormous chance of having people infected – nearly every other person.”

Originally published as Gladys Berejiklian reveals vaccination number for lockdown to end