Western Australians may receive third Covid-19 vaccination before borders open

In one Australian state, frustration is growing that vaccinated residents are being left behind because anti-vaxxers haven’t got the jab.

WA Premier Mark McGowan is not budging on his hard border stance, leaving vaccinated Western Australians frustrated at the prospect of receiving a third Covid-19 jab before they’re allowed free movement across the state line.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt revealed this week that booster shots will be offered to Australians from November 8 if they have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

For most people, eligibility will kick in six months after their second dose.

It could mean a situation where West Australians are still locked inside the state while triple-dosed.

The number of West Australians over the age of 12 who are fully vaccinated is a bit over 59 per cent.

The figure lags behind the national figure – 74.8 per cent of the Australian adult population has received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

WA Premier Mark McGowan holds a Covid-related press conference at Dumas House in West Perth. Picture: Jackson Flindell

Local journalist Emma Wynne wrote on social media that vaccinated West Australians “have seen no benefit” from doing the right thing because anti-vaxxers are keeping the state border shut.

“Three months today since I got my second jab. By January 27, I will eligible for a booster and WA borders will probably still be closed,” she wrote.

“In WA, people who went out and got the vaccination as soon as they could have seen no benefit while the delayers and anti-vaxxers are in control of the timetable. Great strategy.”

The border will likely be closed to residents in NSW and Victoria for even longer under plans aimed at giving WA the best chance at getting through “this whole experience pretty unscathed”.

The Australian Financial Review detailed earlier this month the “growing frustration within the federal government that WA Premier Mark McGowan is maintaining a hard border closure, despite growing vaccination rates in the eastern states”.

The WA vaccination rate is lagging behind the rest of the country. Picture: Tony McDonough/NCA NewsWire

Speaking during Question Time, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was blunt when discussing the states and territories that followed NSW’s lead in reopening.

“Victoria is opening up. Queensland is opening up. The Queensland borders will be coming down, as Queensland honours the national plan. ACT is finally opening up, as well as South Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania.”

Mr McGowan has not issued a concrete plan but has committed to setting a date for the border to reopen after the state has achieved an 80 per cent double dose rate.

“We are continuing with our vaccination program to get as many people vaccinated as we can, making sure that we get through the Christmas period and the Christmas holidays before such time as we open to NSW and Victoria and potentially get cases,” he said.

“So that we have high levels of vaccination, we don’t have to put in place restrictions over the Christmas holidays, and hopefully we can come through this whole experience pretty unscathed.”

He continued, describing what a festive season limited by restrictions would look like and encouraging West Australians to appreciate the freedoms they were afforded by the state’s zero Covid strategy.

Empty Perth streets during lockdown earlier this year after a man left hotel quarantine and was found to be infected with Covid-19. Picture: Tony McDonough/NCA NewsWire

“Imagine Christmas where we have limits on the number of people who can go to someone’s home, we have limits on the number of people who can have a picnic in public, we have restrictions on cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars, we have restrictions on tourism venues, we have mask wearing requirements indoors,” he said.

“I would prefer to avoid that. We will get to a reunion with Victoria and New South Wales sometime in the first half of next year.

“But I think we owe it to ourselves and to all the small businesses and all the families that want to have a proper, relatively normal Christmas, to avoid those restrictions that states like South Australia are going to have in place.”

The state Opposition is not on board.

Opposition Leader Mia Davies wants the Premier to say exactly when borders will open.

“It is clear that we have a government that either doesn’t have a plan or they are unwilling to relinquish the control they have,” she said.