Covid-19: Half a vaccinated nation is enough for MPs

Liberal MPs have identified national vaccination rates of as low as 50 per cent as the threshold to clear the first phase of the Morrison government’s ‘new deal’ road map to normality.

Commodore Eric Young of the Vaccine Operations Centre and Health Minister Greg Hunt in Melbourne on Monday. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Liberal MPs have identified ­national vaccination rates as low as 50 per cent as the threshold to clear the first phase of the Morrison government’s “new deal” road map to normality as epidemiologists try to determine the “magic number”.

National cabinet agreed to a four-step blueprint on Friday for a phased easing of restrictions once Australians have met the new vaccine thresholds, which will be set using scientific modelling from ­epidemiologists at the Doherty ­Institute in Melbourne.

Sydney MP Jason Falinski said the two key trigger points to opening up should be all residents having been offered a jab and half of all adults having received both jabs.

“I think once everyone has had the opportunity to be vaccinated and we reach a threshold of 50 per cent, we should move to a staged opening over three months where restrictions are eased gradually,” he said.

“That would build confidence in the community to ensure the health systems can handle it.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt on Monday said the government would continue to follow the ­advice of medical experts when it came to determining the “magic number” for reopening, but warned that if new more virulent variants emerged those reopening targets may be revised.

“It’s likely that these thresholds will be enduring, but if the medical device changes because of a new strain, because of new learning, then we have to give ourselves the honest position of saying we’ll adapt to the global circumstances and adapt to the medical advice,” he said.

Mr Hunt’s Liberal colleague, Tim Wilson, told Sky News a threshold of 60 per cent would be sufficient to clear the first hurdle.

“Frankly, we’re going to move past the first stage, it’s going to be somewhere around 60 per cent,” Mr Wilson said.

“From there the objective should clearly be that people have a responsibility for themselves, a responsibility to their fellow citizens, and as they meet that threshold then the cost ratio moves in favour of getting vaccinated for those who are more aware.”

Since announcing its path to “normality” the Morrison government has come under pressure to specify what level of vaccination coverage would be required to ­enable the country to ease restrictions and limit the use of lockdowns.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who has previously identified a target of 80 per cent as being sufficient to reopen international borders, on Monday said supply ­issues were still hampering the state’s ability to get jabs in arms.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard warned the rollout had become “the hunger games” as authorities raced to vaccinate as many people as fast as possible and as the state’s Covid-19 outbreak surged to 312 cases.

Mr Hazzard said the state’s priority was vaccination as he called on the federal government to rollout more Pfizer doses to more GPs.

“We will continue to have ­effective The Hunger Games going on here in NSW,” he said.

“I think the focus should be at the moment, and the federal government appears to be doing this, to try to roll out as much vaccine as they have available.”

Mr Hazzard said until the federal government effectively ramped up the number of locations to deliver vaccines, the challenges would remain.