Australia set to hit 90 per cent first dose rate across the country before the end of the day

Australia will hit a jaw-dropping first dose milestone on Thursday. Here’s the vaccination rates in your state.

Australia will soon hit a staggering first-dose milestone across the country as the total number of jabs administered nationally tips over 37 million.

Ninety per cent of all Aussies aged over 16 are expected to have at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of Thursday, according to Health Minister Greg Hunt.

“We know that yesterday we got to 89.9 per cent of first doses, and today we will pass 90 per cent,” Mr Hunt said on Thursday.

“That's a huge achievement.”

Every state and territory in Australia has now passed the 80 per cent first-dose rate.

NSW and the ACT continue to lead the nation in vaccination rates with 94 and 95 per cent of their respective populations having received at least one jab.

“What we're seeing is a country on track to have over 90 per cent of the population double-dosed – one of the highest rates in the world,” Mr Hunt said.

Ninety per cent of all Aussies aged over 16 are expected to have at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the day on Thursday. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images

But Australia’s double-dose rate still has a while to go, sitting at around 81.9 per cent across the country.

Marginalised populations such as Indigenous Australians continue to fall behind, due in part to their geographical isolation and lack of trust in mainstream health services.

Mr Hunt said this issue was gradually being resolved, with vaccination rates in the Northern Territory picking up steam over the past month.

“What we’ve been seeing is the fastest rates of first dose vaccination in the country have been coming out to the NT,” the Health Minister said.

“The fastest rates by demographics or a particular section of the country have been coming out of indigenous Australian populations.”

But opposition Indigenous spokeswoman Linda Burney did not share Mr Hunt’s optimism about the Indigenous jab rate, noting there was a 20 per cent gap between vaccinations of First Nations people in the NT and the rest of the population.

“The gap between the vaccination rates in Aboriginal communities and the broader community is getting wider and wider and wider,” Ms Burney said.

“The government has announced 30 communities in some sort of surge, and we haven’t heard anything about that.

“Clearly, what is needed is better messaging. It is so crucial to get leaders from communities involved in getting the message out that vaccinations are important.”

The first-dose vaccination rate in Australia’s Indigenous population sits at 67.4 per cent.

Marginalised populations such as Indigenous Australians have been left behind by Australia’s vaccine rollout. Picture: AAP Image/Supplied by Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services

Children under 12 have also been left behind as parents anxiously wait for the Therapeutic Goods Administration to announce a Covid-19 vaccine that is safe for that age group.

Pfizer and Moderna have both received provisional determination by the TGA for use in children aged under 12.

The granting of provisional determination means that the TGA has decided that the vaccine manufacturers are eligible to apply for provisional registration for the vaccine in Australia.

However, this gives no guarantee that the application will be approved.

Mr Hunt said he expected the TGA to be able to make an announcement on the use of Pfizer in 5-11 year olds sometime before Christmas.

Greg Hunt said he expected the TGA to be able to make an announcement on the use of Pfizer in 5-11 year olds sometime before Christmas. Picture: Frederic J. Brown / AFP

“(The TGA) want to see the real world data and we're in that very fortunate position that will come through over the coming weeks between now and Christmas,” he said.

“I am confident that we will have childhood vaccination in Australia because we went to 12 to 15 and we were able to implement that immediately.

“Now they're considering five to 11 for Pfizer, six to 11 for Moderna, but they do not want to cut corners on children’s safety, and I endorse that approach.”