Glacial speed of our vaccination rollout a disgrace

Natasha Robinson’s front page article “Millions of Pfizer jabs set for October rollout” (24/6) begs the question of what, in the ensuing three months, will happen with Covid vaccinations?

The glacial speed of the distribution of any of the vaccinations is a disgrace and causing unnecessary stress for many Australians. Although plenty of members of our state and federal parliaments appear to have been lucky enough to have had a jab, a very small percentage of ordinary Australians are so fortunate.

The US has fully vaccinated 45 per cent of its population, India 294,639,511 people and Australia only about 5 per cent of the adult population. Shame

Dr Mary Nosworthy, Strathfield, NSW

John Ferguson highlights contrasting pandemic approaches by federal, NSW and Victorian governments in his in-depth analysis “Morrison facing viral landmine” (24/6). Avoiding accountability, Scott Morrison takes a low-risk, hands-off approach to the vaccine rollout and quarantine arrangements. Premier Gladys Berejiklian takes a measured, targeted, business first, health second gamble while the Victorian government insists on a hardline, risk-elimination stance.

Ferguson concedes that maybe NSW has experienced “a significant amount of luck”. It looks like that luck has run out. The Prime Minister needs all the premiers to be successful to escape “a political landmine”.

Kevin Burke, Sandringham, Vic

Now, please, Messrs Morrison and Hunt, can you immediately drop all age restrictions in regard to the Pfizer vaccine? I am 77, suffer from several comorbidities and am extremely vulnerable to the virus, especially the Delta variant.

In a commentary published last month (“Over-50s rebellion threatens to derail vaccination program”, 28/5), Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah, a Melbourne infectious diseases specialist, stated: “Given the poor outcomes, it is imperative that as many older Australians as possible are vaccinated pre-winter. Therefore, the age threshold should be dropped and the Pfizer-BNT stock diverted to the over-50s. This will provide faster and more effective protection against symptomatic infection than AZ in the event of a B1.617.2 (Delta) infection outbreak.”

Despite this stark warning, the age barrier remains in place. Younger people can register for Pfizer now, but it may be toward the end of this year or even later when I can get the Pfizer vaccine. This delay is medically illogical, harmful and discriminates against the elderly, those at highest risk, solely on the basis of age.

Paul Raffaele, Leichhardt, NSW

Apparently there is a “clear and present danger” in Sydney due to 31 people now having tested positive to Covid. However, with no hospitalisations, no ICU admittance, and no deaths among the 31 people, and with vaccines, great testing and tracing regimes and far greater understanding and treatments for anyone who does develop serious health issues than were available 12 months ago, just what is the danger?

Even if 300 or 3000 people get infected in a state that has all these protective health measures going for it I still cannot see what the clear and present danger actually is. Ask me about the 160 per cent increase of mental health issues in the young during the past 14 months and I could reel off a list of dangers.

Maggie Woodhead, Swan View, WA

The “we’re living a normal life” rationale governments have been giving us is wearing pretty thin. Unpredictable restrictions, a virus outsmarting us at every turn, hesitancy over a potentially life-saving vaccine as likely to cause harm as a lightning strike. None of that seems normal to me. The tables are turning on the bragging rights we’ve held over the rest of the world. Shots in arms and a bit of innovation from ScoMo will change that; nothing else will.

Oisin O’Callaghan, Freshwater, NSW

There’s a little too much “slamming” going on. If we aren’t slamming borders closed, it’s states, or cities. Could we find another metaphor and slam that for a while? In the meantime, what’s wrong with closing gently? I’d even forgive the split infinitive “to gently close”. It’s enough being declared a “hotspot”, we don’t have to be slamming it home.

Gary N. Lines, Adelaide, SA