Pfizer dose gap cut could supercharge Victoria’s vax rollout

Reducing the Pfizer gap would allow Victoria to reach 80 per cent fully vaccinated target before Melbourne Cup Day on November 2.

Exclusive: Victoria could be out of lockdown by Melbourne Cup Day by halving the gap between Pfizer jabs at state vaccination hubs.

The Saturday Herald Sun understands there will be enough Pfizer shots in Australia to allow the move and fast track the state to 80 per cent fully vaccinated.

Victoria needs an extra 318,000 Pfizer doses each week to meet the target but a doubling of Pfizer deliveries to Australia this month will provide enough doses to allow the cut in jab gaps – and reduce pressure on the state’s hospital system from the expected rise in coronavirus cases.

That supercharged program would allow the state to hit the 80 per cent fully vaccinated mark ahead of schedule.

Currently people can get a second Pfizer dose after just three weeks with their GP compared to six weeks at the state mass vaccination centres.

One of Australia’s leading health experts has called for a cut in the jab gap, reducing it from six to three weeks – saying “now is the time’’.

Victoria could be out by Melbourne Cup day. Picture: Brett Holburt / Racing Photos/ AFP

Former World Health Organisation epidemiologist Professor Adrian Esterman said: “Now is absolutely the time to revise those wait times and get more people fully protected.”

Professor Nancy Baxter, an epidemiologist and head of Melbourne University’s School of Population and Global Health, said it was “crazy” that GPs could give Pfizer at three-week gaps while the state hubs had a six-week interval.

“To me it is bananas that you have different programs where there’s no consistency,” she said.

Rolling deliveries of 4.5 million UK Pfizer doses were due to double national supply in September.

And 9 million Pfizer doses are expected in October and November.

Of the extra 4.5 million doses nationally, Victoria’s 25 per cent allocation would be 1.125m each month, or 260,000 each week.

Moderna doses will also begin to be rolled out in pharmacies from Monday, as the state rounds the home turn in the vaccine race.

Premier Daniel Andrews will announce his road map out of the Covid-19 pandemic on Sunday, with significant freedoms slated when the state hits 80 per cent full vaccination for those over 16.

Premier Daniel Andrews will detail his road map out of lockdown on Sunday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

But the Australian Medical Association and nurses’ union have cautioned against opening up too soon, with 510 cases recorded on Friday and a spike in COVID-19 patients expected in hospitals in the coming weeks.

Data analyst website Covidlive.com.au cut its estimates for Victoria to hit 80 per cent fully vaccinated for over 16s to November 9.

Mr Andrews said this week that Victoria would hit 70 per cent double dosed vaccination rates on October 26.

The gap between AstraZeneca doses was cut from 12 weeks to six weeks when Victoria abandoned its Covid zero strategy.

Reducing the Pfizer gap, pending extra supply, would allow Victoria to reach that 80 per cent fully vaccinated target before Melbourne Cup Day on November 2.

Prof Esterman said while Victoria’s case numbers hadn’t yet peaked, he expected that increased vaccination coverage had led to the effective reproduction rate of the virus falling.

“We haven’t seen the peak, but it looks like we’re rapidly approaching a plateau,” he said.

He said fully vaccinated people were less likely to become unwell if they contracted the virus, with symptoms to be “very mild”.

Reducing the Pfizer gap will be dependent on extra supply. Picture: David Crosling

Victoria hit its 70 per cent first dose target this week, with 99 per cent of people returning for their second dose appointments.

It is estimated the current lockdowns in Victoria are costing the state’s economy about $700 million per week.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Paul Guerra said he supported any safe measures to help get business back up and running.

“We’ve known for some time that the key to getting Victorian businesses open again is to get vaccination rates up as quickly as possible and the Victorian Chamber welcomes all initiatives that safely enables that to happen,” he said.

Health Minister Martin Foley said the state wanted to increase first doses to provide greater overall protection instead of prioritising second jabs.

Lt Gen John Frewen’s office, which is in charge of the vaccine rollout, is expected to provide updates on supply within days.

A state government spokeswoman said: “Victoria is on the record as having made repeated requests for extra vaccine supply and also requests for confirmation on the October doses we’re supposed to receive – they are still yet to be confirmed.”

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