Schools back for summer as kids get the jab

Vaccination rates for children in NSW and Victoria surge ahead of an easing of rules and an early return to school in NSW.

Fully vaccinated NSW residents will be able to welcome 10 visitors to their home, up from a limit of five, and socialise in groups of 30 outdoors from Monday. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Vaccination rates for children in NSW and Victoria have surged ahead of an easing of pandemic ­restrictions and an early return to school in the country’s largest state.

Dominic Perrottet, in one of his first major acts as NSW Premier, on Thursday unveiled an accelerated easing of restrictions that will have students back in schools by October 25, and double the number of visitors allowed in a home from Monday.

Fully vaccinated NSW residents will be able to welcome 10 visitors to their home, up from a limit of five, and socialise in groups of 30 outdoors, up from a cap of 20, from Monday, under a revised road map that Mr Perrottet ­labelled “measured and sensible”.

Mask requirements in offices will be scrapped at 80 per cent vaccination, slated for October 18, rather than 90 per cent.

The moves come as new commonwealth data obtained by The Australian shows 63 per cent of children between 12 and 15 years old in NSW have already received one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, less than a month after that age group became eligible.

In Victoria, that figure is 59 per cent, while more than 80 per cent of children in the ACT have also had their first vaccination.

Those rates are considerably higher than the national average – 49 per cent – and more than ­double those of other major states, including Queensland and Western Australia.

As NSW reached its 70 per cent double-dose target, Scott Morrison on Thursday said the rising vaccination rates demonstrated supply challenges had been ­addressed and the country was “on the home stretch”.

Scott Morrison says rising vaccination rates show supply challenges have been ­addressed and the country is ‘on the home stretch’. Picture: Getty Images

“I believe Australia can achieve much higher vaccination rates than the 70 and 80 per cent that we’ve set out in the national plan and that will only give us greater confidence and enable us to move even more quickly as we open the country up,” the Prime Minister said.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is on Friday expected to announce that the immuno-compromised should be given a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, following moves in the EU that approved an extra dose 28 days after the second.

A recommendation by ATAGI on third jabs for the wider population is unlikely until next year, as health authorities monitor overseas programs, with the US, ­Britain, Israel and France among those countries already offering boosters.

ANU infectious diseases physician Peter Collignon said the “brilliant” uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine in 12-15 year olds could lead to restrictions being eased earlier than anticipated.

“The more people we vaccinate from any age group the better, because it means we will see a much lower risk of people getting the virus and passing the virus on to others,” he said.

“Basically, if people are vaccinated, it’s safer for them, safer for everyone else and means we can open up sooner.”

Professor Collignon pointed to the fact that 12-15 year olds were not initially counted in the Doherty Institute modelling that would see Australia open up when 70 per cent of the population was vaccinated, with more freedoms being offered at 80 per cent. “Now that under-16s are getting vaccinated, it’s very possible we could see that road map moved forward because it means we may be able to relax things earlier.”

Mr Morrison said the new road map for NSW was beginning the process of opening safely and staying safely open, calling it “the light at the end of the tunnel”.

“That’s what the national plan is about. When you hit those vaccination rates, you can open with certainty again and you can open safely with certainty again and you can stay open,” he said.

“We have passed the first major milestone for Australians getting their lives back.” Mr Morrison said residents now had the certainty to make plans and bookings for the months ahead.

“I want this to be a sign of hope to the rest of the country, partic­ularly those in Victoria, who I’m mindful of today, and here in the ACT, where the lockdowns continue.”

However, the NSW moves were criticised on Thursday by the Australian Medical Association for “the potential sidelining of public health advice” after the state’s chief health officer, Kerry Chant, was notably absent from the press conference announcing the changes to the road map.

“The AMA is very concerned at the apparent shift in approach to the management of Covid-19 in NSW announced today”, AMA president Omar Khorshid said, warning the move could lead to “avoidable deaths”.

“The changes to the road map have occurred at the 11th hour without the presence of the chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant at the announcement,” he said.

The AMA supported the gradual opening up of the economy, but it was critical to observe the impact of each step on transmission and case numbers, otherwise NSW would still see hospitals become “completely overwhelmed” despite high vaccination rates, he said. “NSW must not be reckless at this critical time. That would cost more lives, cause more suffering, and put the economies of NSW and the nation at risk.”

The move to bring forward face-to-face lessons for all students in NSW by October 25 comes despite estimates only 85 per cent of teachers are vaccinated, with November 8 set as the deadline.

NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said the low vaccination rate was because teachers had never been prioritised during the vaccine rollout.

“How do you intend to staff a school with all students present from October 25 when only 85 per cent of your workforce has been double-vaccinated?” he said.

However, Mr Perrottet was unapologetic: “It’s a major relief for parents and their sanity, and … I want to thank all the teachers who are there getting vaccinated to ensure we can open our schools as safely as possible.”