ACT Chief Minister accuses Scott Morrison of making ‘off the cuff’ announcement as Canberra records 12 new cases

Scott Morrison has been accused of causing confusion and making an ‘off the cuff announcement’ in regards to eligibility for the Pfizer jab.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has blamed the Prime Minister’s “off the cuff” comments for causing confusion around Canberra’s vaccine rollout for young people aged 16 to 29.

Canberra recorded 12 new infections on Monday, bringing the total outbreak to 261.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday to announce the new figures, Mr Barr was asked why there was so much confusion around Pfizer for young people.

While Sydneysiders aged 16-29 are now able to book their Pfizer jabs, young Canberrans are still waiting their turn.

“The Prime Minister made an off the cuff announcement in a press conference without telling anyone,” Mr Barr said.

“That's why there's confusion – Let's be brutally frank about that.”

The Chief Minister clarified that Canberrans aged 16-29 were able to register their general interest for a Pfizer booking at a later date, but they were not yet able to access vaccination itself.

Canberrans under 30s can register their intention to get Pfizer with the ACT government‘s Digital Health Record (MyDHR) system, but cannot book a jab appointment yet.

“We will start booking 16 to 29 year olds for a Pfizer vaccination in the coming days,” Mr Barr said.

The Chief Minister clarified that once bookings opened for that age group, the majority of appointments would occur in late October and early November.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said Scott Morrison “wasn‘t clear in his announcement” when he informed Australians aged 16-29 that they were now eligible to register for a Pfizer vaccination. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas.

Of the 12 new cases announced for the ACT on Monday, two were in quarantine for their entire infectious period while at least six were out in the community.

Six of the transmission are linked to existing cases. Four remain under investigation and another two have no known links at this stage.

Mr Barr said 12 Canberrans were now in hospital with Covid-19 and three were in intensive care.

Canberra’s lockdown is currently set to end on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman.

AIS Arena in Bruce is set to open as vaccination hub on Friday to facilitate the administration of around 24,000 jabs of Pfizer per week to Canberrans.

“If we get out 24,000 doses a week we will get through that (16-29 year old) cohort quickly but right now we’re only getting about 17,000 a week,” Mr Barr said.

ACT Chief Health Minister Dr Kerryn Coleman will be meeting with the ACT cabinet on Monday night to set out the plan for Canberra’s public health restrictions moving forward.

Canberra’s lockdown is currently set to end on Thursday.

Mr Barr said he hoped to be able to make an announcement updating Canberrans about the length and severity of restrictions on Tuesday.