PM apologises for vaccine rollout failure, despite previously denying responsibility

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has apologised and accepted responsibility for Australia’s slow vaccine rollout, after 24 hours of tough scrutiny.

The Prime Minister has apologised and accepted responsibility for the slow vaccine rollout.

“I'm sorry that we haven’t been able to achieve the marks that we had hoped for at the beginning of this year,” the PM said on Thursday.

“I take responsibility for the vaccination program. I also take responsibility for the challenges we’ve had.”

‘I also take responsibility for the challenges we’ve had,’ the PM told reporters on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

Mr Morrison came under fire on Wednesday after he refused to accept the blame for the lockdowns in three of our major cities.

Adelaide’s FIVEaa radio hosts David and Will told the PM: “The reason you’ve got 12 million people in lockdown is because you got it (the rollout) so wrong in the first place.”

“No, I don’t accept that,” Mr Morrison said.

The PM made similar deflections later on Wednesday on ABC radio.

“We’ve had our problems … many have been out of our control,” he insisted.

But after 24 hours of intense scrutiny, Mr Morrison chose a different form of words on Thursday.

“I take responsibility for the things that haven’t gone as well as we have liked and I take responsibility for the things that have worked as well,” he said.

But when pressed by reporters on why he didn’t accept responsibility sooner, Mr Morrison said, “I think I have been very clear that as Prime Minister I am responsible for the vaccination program and I also have been very clear that that responsibility means fixing and dealing with the problems that we’ve had.”

The PM also announced that pharmacists would be able to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to Australians from next month.

“From next Monday, all community pharmacies across the country will be eligible to request participation in administering AstraZeneca,” he said.

“We expect to see them commencing their vaccinations in mid-August.”

Pharmacists were originally planned to begin administering the vaccine in September.

The PM said bringing the scheme forward would help to get “more horsepower” behind the AstraZeneca rollout.

But the same age-based eligibility requirements apply.

“Pharmacists will be able to give vaccines right across the population because the AstraZeneca vaccine is approved by the TGA for people above the age of 18, but there is an informed consent process,” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Morrison said Australians under 60 would need to speak to their GP about the risk factors of AstraZeneca before they were able to get the jab.

“The informed consent process ultimately provides the decision to the individual,” Mr Morrison said.

The PM said pharmacists administering the vaccine would also receive the same indemnity that covered GPs.