National Cabinet to focus on vaccine rollout ‘recalibration’ following ATAGI decision on AstraZeneca

A recalibration of Australia’s vaccine rollout will be at the heart of discussions of Monday’s National Cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

A decision by government health advisers to restrict AstraZeneca to those over 60 and the recalibration of the vaccine rollout will be at the heart of Monday’s national cabinet meeting following Victoria’s criticism that the administration of jabs had “been a shambles” and WA’s demands for more Pfizer doses.

As Australian Defence Force Lieutenant General John “JJ” Frewen moves to apply his military logistics expertise to the rollout, national cabinet will discuss the reallocation of Pfizer doses across the states and territories in the wake of new Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) advice that AstraZeneca be restricted to those 60 and over.

Under the recalibration, Pfizer doses will be allocated to the states and territories based on population sizes, except in instances of Covid-19 breakouts. The Morrison government is also expected to chastise the states for “under-ordering” vaccines and will call on the leaders to get vials out of commonwealth fridges and into arms.

But the issue of supply is expected to be a sticking point at the meeting after West Australian Premier Mark McGowan flagged that he would seek a bigger share of Pfizer supplies, and a guarantee of supply to keep up with growing demand for Pfizer jabs. He will also tell national cabinet that WA needs more than the 30,000 doses of Pfizer a week allocated by the commonwealth.

“If there’s more vaccine supplies, we are ready, willing and able to collaborate with the federal government to boost the Pfizer vaccine rollout through our State-run clinics, GPs and pharmacies to help protect more Western Australians,” Mr McGowan said on Sunday.

Victoria’s Acting Premier, James Merlino, also called for more doses from the government, declaring its supply would not meet demand, as he blasted the rollout as an “absolute shambles”.

“We do not have the supply from the commonwealth to match the demand for first doses,” he said. “It’s fair to say the commonwealth vaccine rollout is absolute shambles.”

The Australian understands Mr Merlino on Sunday was offered an in-person briefing with Lieutenant Frewen about how the rollout was progressing to “clear-up misconceptions”.

Lieutenant Frewen, appointed under Scott Morrison’s “war footing” to manage vaccine supply and distribution, is focusing on the “vaccine sprint” in the fourth quarter of this year and will use his military logistics expertise to ensure as many Australians that want the vaccine are able to get it.

ATAGI’s change in health advice threatens to extend waiting times for adults seeking Pfizer. However, there has been no change to the government’s plan to offer all Australians that want a jab a vaccine by October.

Health Minister Greg Hunt on Thursday said the number of Pfizer doses flowing into the country would scale up in the coming months, with Australia to receive 1.7 million doses in June and another 2.8 million in July.

While Australia has ordered 40 million doses, the majority are due to be delivered in the final three months of the year.

The hiccup over vaccines comes as NSW Health scrambles to track down people who may have come into contact with the highly infectious Delta variant as the Sydney cluster grows to nine.

Brisbane was also put on high alert after Queensland Health discovered an international aircrew member, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday after spending two weeks in hotel quarantine, travelled to the CBD on Saturday night.

Changes to the vaccine rollout and health advice will be scrutinised at a snap meeting of the Covid-19 Senate inquiry on Monday night.

Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy, federal chief medical officer Paul Kelly and Therapeutic Goods Association boss John Skerritt are expected to appear.