Australia set to miss initial coronavirus vaccination goal

A mammoth goal of four million Aussies vaccinated against COVID-19 by March’s end is likely to be missed. Meanwhile, Victoria has gone 13 days without local transmission.

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An initial goal of getting four million Australians vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the month is likely to be missed, with Scott Morrison insisting the rollout pace would increase.

The Prime Minister said there was always a risk supply chain issues, such as shipment blockages in Europe, could affect Australia.

He said the program was going “as quickly and as safely” as possible.

— Click here to see how Victoria’s vaccination rate compares

”We’re not going to put them (elderly Australians) in buses and take them off to military sites and, you know, have them herded into tents where they’re going to be vaccinated,” Mr Morrison said.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arriving at the Monash Medical Centre last month Photo: Arsineh Houspian

“No, they’re going to go to their GP. They’re going to go to a proper place where they can get the care and support that they need when they’re having these vaccines administered.”

Federal Department of Health Secretary Brendan Murphy — who was injected with the AstraZeneca jab last week — said the vaccines being used in Australia were “indistinguishable”.

“All the data now that’s coming out of the UK where, particularly, and other countries where there’s good real world experience is that we now have two vaccines that are indistinguishable,” he said.

Meanwhile, more than 20,000 Victorians turned out to be tested on Wednesday, with no new cases detected.

The state’s active caseload has dipped to three. Thirteen days have passed since the state’s last recorded cases of local transmission.

Originally published as Australia set to miss initial coronavirus vaccination goal