Family Covid appointments under plan to vaccinate 12 and overs
A plan to vaccinate children aged 12 to 15 is set to be locked in, with school-based vaccination programs now in the works.
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A plan to vaccinate 1.2 million Australian children aged 12 to 15 will be locked in today, with school-based vaccination programs in the works for term 4.
Ahead of Friday’s national cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the jabs for children aged 12-15 would be done in parallel with the rollout for Australians over 16.
The Herald Sun can also reveal the nation’s drug regulator is finalising its work to approve the Moderna vaccine for children aged 12 to 17 “as a priority”, with the green light expected within weeks.
It comes as hundreds of Victorian GP clinics will be given Pfizer doses to administer from the middle of September, opening up thousands of appointments for young adults.
The Herald Sun can reveal there are more than 400 clinics currently administering Pfizer and AstraZeneca. From September 13, almost 800 extra clinics will also begin to receive Pfizer doses over a four-week period. More than 700 Victorian pharmacies will be offering vaccines by the end of this month.
Authorities are also finalising plans to offer family vaccine appointments to give the jab to parents and their kids at the same time.
On Thursday, Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton encouraged grandparents to continue coming forward for the vaccine, saying it would help authorities get their grandchildren back to school.
An analysis by the federal Health Department shows the vaccine rollout has already drastically reduced the Covid death rate in the NSW outbreak, compared to the Victorian second wave, and that the Delta strain has not markedly increased the rate of serious illness among children.
“The vaccines have clearly been doing their job in protecting people, particularly in residential aged-care facilities,” the Prime Minister said.
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