Coronavirus vaccine roll-out plan: Older Aussies to head COVID-19 jab list

Elderly Australians to be at front of queue for coronavirus vaccine, but young people may not receive it in 2021.

A medical staffer at Howard University in Washington DC receives the COVID-19 vaccine this week. Picture: Getty Images

Australians older than 70 will get the COVID-19 vaccine first, while children under the age of 18 are unlikely to receive it in 2021.

With the coronavirus vaccine only months away, the federal government has devised a strategy, seen by The Herald-Sun, that places the country’s elderly at the front of the queue, just behind 800,000 frontline health workers, aged-care workers and the nation’s most vulnerable.

Prisoners and other detention inmates, as well as guards, will also be among the first to be vaccinated because they are at greater risk of becoming infected because of crowded conditions.

While those older than 70 will form their own age bracket, the rest of the population will be broken down into 12 five-year age groups that will determine when they receive the vaccine.

Children aged under 18 will likely be excluded next year as pharmaceutical companies have not sought regulatory approval for use in younger people yet.

The Herald Sun also reported that people will have to queue 20 at a time to get their jab because the vaccine will be provided in multi-dose vials rather than ­single doses. Vaccines may also vary depending on several factors, including health conditions.

Last week, the Northern Territory said vaccination options for the region were limited because of the extreme cold needed to transport them.

The vaccination schedule will be finalised in late January, and will be accompanied by expert advice on the roll-out plan. The advice will determine whether police and other “essential workers” are given priority access.