Virus expert warns Australians will not be fully vaccinated by year’s end

Leading epidemiologists have issued a grim warning about Australia’s rollout, warning many will not be fully vaccinated by Christmas.

Leading epidemiologists are warning that Australians will not be fully vaccinated by Christmas based on the current sluggish speed of the rollout.

More Victorians on Sunday were turned away from getting jabs and the state’s struggling inoculation program was blasted as “chaos”.

Almost 27,500 vaccines were administered on Saturday, Health Department ­figures show.

But epidemiologists say the federal government’s vaccine rollout is not fast enough and are calling for more vaccination centres and GP clinics to come on line to deliver it. Former World Health ­Organisation epidemiologist Adrian Esterman said, based on current vaccination rates, everyone would probably have had their first dose by the end of the year, but not the second.

“They are trying to ramp it up but it is still going at a snail’s pace,” Professor Esterman said.

The University of South Australia professor said nurses and pharmacists should be giving vaccinations, while more centres that operated 24 hours a day should be open.

“We simply aren’t doing it fast enough,” he said.

Queues of people waiting to get their Covid vaccine in Sunshine. Picture: Rob Leeson.

People head to the Melbourne Convention Centre to get their jab. Picture: David Crosling

Deakin University epidemiology chairwoman Catherine Bennett said Pfizer supplies needed to be used carefully to ensure there was enough for people in phases 1a and 1b to be inoculated.

Professor Bennett said more GPs were needed to help the rollout, with expressions of interest now open for a further 900 clinics. “We really need to aim to get everyone done by the end of the year with at least their first dose,” she said.

“That whole idea of waiting, or people individually being cautious, is something that was problematic because caution comes with a cost. We need to have hard dates to aim for with our vaccination.”

Of the 4.2 million doses administered across the country, just over 494,000 have been second doses, according to West Australian Health ­Department data. Fewer than 110,000 second doses have been administered in Victoria.

Scott Morrison said in January he wanted four million Australians vaccinated by the end of March.

The Prime Minister delayed the deadline before canning national vaccine targets in April after AstraZeneca was no longer recommended for people aged under 50.

Health Minister Greg Hunt on Sunday said an additional 261,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses would be provided to Victoria over the coming week, including 90,000 doses to GPs.

“We thank them for their work and think they are doing an excellent job,” Mr Hunt said. “There is very large ­inventory available in Victoria in relation to the program.”

Expert Catherine Bennett said Pfizer supplies needed to be used carefully to ensure there was enough for people in phases 1a and 1b to be inoculated.

State testing commander Jeroen Weimar said the constraint on getting people vaccinated was not the availability of the overwhelmed booking portal but the fact they could administer only 20,000 a day.

“That is a bigger number than we have ever done before, doubling the rate of vaccination we are doing even a few days ago,” Mr Weimar said.

“We are able to continue to sustain this rate until we get more vaccines available. We’ll get more people vaccinated.”

Australian Medical Association vice-president Chris Moy said if Victoria used all its doses, there may have to be a “short shift” to get more.

“Victoria is the hot spot but … you do have to look at the overall war when making decisions,” Dr Moy said.

Queues at the Royal Exhibition Building and Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre shrank dramatically compared with Saturday.

But mum Katherine Fox said the system deterred people from doing the right thing.

“A country like Australia should be far better organised,” she said.

“You don’t expect to see chaos like this in Australia.”

Ms Fox, who is over 40, said she had spent hours trying to book her vaccination via the Covid hotline but had never got through.