Andrews sets target of million jabs over next five weeks
The Victorian government will make AstraZeneca available to under-40s in a bid to administer a million vaccine doses over the next five weeks.
The Andrews government will make AstraZeneca available to under-40s at all 50 state-run vaccine hubs from Monday, in a bid to administer a million vaccine doses over the next five weeks.
The commitment came as Victoria recorded 15 new community-acquired Covid cases on Friday. In the 10 days since the state was sent into its sixth lockdown, there have been 10 mystery cases yet to be linked to previous outbreaks.
Victoria will also open three new drive-through vaccine clinics in Wyndham in Melbourne’s outer southwest, Hume/Whittlesea in the outer north, and Casey/Cardinia in the outer southeast.
The news follows the rollout of AstraZeneca at six metropolitan and three regional hubs last Monday, and the opening last Sunday of Australia’s first drive-through vaccination clinic at a disused Bunnings in Melton in Melbourne’s outer northwest.
On Thursday, a record 27,427 vaccinations were administered at state-run clinics in Victoria – contributing to 64,266 statewide, with the remainder contributed by GPs and pharmacies – and a national record day of 262,314 doses.
Mr Andrews said the goal of a million doses over the next five weeks would help Victoria reach a 60 per cent vaccination rate by the end of September, and get closer to the goal of reaching between 70-80 per cent vaccination rates.
Of 136 cases linked to Victorian outbreaks that have emerged since August 4, 32 per cent have been in quarantine for the duration of their infectious period. Two people are in hospital, one of whom is in intensive care.
Despite the emergence of mystery cases and unexpected Covid detections in wastewater from as far afield as Lakes Entrance in East Gippsland, Mr Andrews said the state’s outbreak was “not at a point where we need to be going door to door” to test for the virus.
While NSW set a record of 151,830 tests on Wednesday, with a similarly strong 127,988 on Thursday, Victoria processed 40,737 tests on Thursday and the state’s record is 59,355 tests on July 20.
“I’m not concerned with the [testing] numbers,” Mr Andrews said. “They are not too low and I would guard against the natural comparison with NSW where they literally require people … they must go get tested every three days and it is many hundreds of thousands of tests each week, directly attributed to that.”
There's a million reasons to get vaccinated - but for me, it's Mum.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) August 13, 2021
She still lives out in Wang, not far from where I grew up.
I love her, and I think about her every day.
Even if this pandemic means I can't see her as much as I'd like, I still want to know that she's safe. pic.twitter.com/euOFuw9xlN
Wake up, Australia! We’re a coin toss away from a mass casualty attack
People are planning it. They are itching to do it. It will finish off Albanese’s leadership as sure as it will harm the innocents among us.
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