Australia approves Pfizer COVID vaccine, Victoria marks anniversary of first virus case
Three children aged under 10 were among Victoria’s latest coronavirus cases in hotel quarantine.
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Three children aged under 10 were among Victoria’s latest coronavirus cases in hotel quarantine.
Health authorities on Monday revealed another six cases in hotel quarantine, including a man in his 40s, a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 20s and two boys and one girl, all aged under 10.
None of the latest cases were linked to the Australian Open.
It took Victoria’s active case total to 31, with just one locally acquired case linked to the Black Rock cluster.
It comes as Australia’s first coronavirus vaccine has been approved by the medical watchdog, with the first jabs to be given within weeks.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine on Monday morning for Australians aged over 16.
Recipients will need two doses at least 21 days apart, with priority to be given to aged care residents and staff, frontline healthcare workers, and quarantine and border officials.
Pfizer now has to ship the vaccines to Australia and the government expects vaccinations to start later next month.
But the company has experienced delays with deliveries overseas, with the government cautioning this month that while it is aiming for late February, that could be pushed back to early March.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government’s plan to vaccinate four million Australians by the end of March had been delayed, and was now more likely to be achieved by early April.
The government is aiming to complete the rollout by October.
Mr Morrison said the approval meant the Pfizer vaccine was “safe, effective and of a high standard”.
“Australians should take confidence in the thorough and careful approach taken by our world-class safety regulator,” he said.
“Our priority has always been to keep Australians safe and protect lives and livelihoods. Today’s approval is another big step forward for our community, particularly in the protection of our most vulnerable people.”
The TGA said the Pfizer vaccine had been “shown to prevent COVID-19”.
“It is not yet known whether it prevents transmission or asymptomatic disease,” the regulator said.
Mr Morrison said the rollout was likely to begin closer to late February, rather than the middle of the month, due to global pressures on vaccine deliveries.
He said these challenges were a key reason why the federal government had also ordered 50 million AstraZeneca doses to be made in Melbourne, with that vaccine expected to be approved by the TGA soon.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the AstraZeneca vaccine was likely to be rolled out in early March, starting with doses shipped in from overseas.
Supplies made by CSL in Melbourne are expected to become available from late March, with one million doses a week given to Australians.
Victoria has marked 19 days since the last case of community transmission.
But six cases have been linked to hotel quarantine. It is not yet known if any are linked to the Australian Open.
Nearly 12,000 tests were received on Sunday and there are currently 31 active cases.
However, Victoria’s chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton warned people to not be complacent on Australia Day.
“We are asking people to stay sensible and celebrate Australia Day in a COVID-safe way,” he said.
“We have invested too much in our fight against COVID-19 to let our guard down and become complacent.”
VICTORIA MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST COVID CASE
Victorians have been praised for their fortitude and commitment a year on from the state’s first coronavirus case.
The infection — also the first in Australia — was confirmed on January 25 last year after a man from the pandemic’s epicentre, Wuhan, six days earlier flew from Guangdong in China's south to Melbourne.
The Sunday Herald Sun broke the news online.
By March 26, Victoria had recorded its first coronavirus deaths — three within 24 hours — as case numbers statewide pushed past 500.
Two gruelling lockdowns — the second lasting more than 100 days — followed, with Victoria’s daily new infections peaking at 725 and active cases hitting 7880 in early August.
But the state drove down the figures and on Sunday recorded no new local cases for the 18th straight day.
“A year ago nobody could have predicted what was coming and how deeply the lives of every Victorian would be affected,” Premier Daniel Andrews said. “We have endured incredibly tough times, but I’m so proud of the sacrifices we have made to keep one another safe.”
Lord Mayor Sally Capp hailed Victorians’ resilience.
“The devastation to Victorian families who lost a loved one has been unimaginable,” Ms Capp said.
“The impact to the Melbourne economy from COVID could be over $100bn. People have lost their jobs and businesses through no fault of their own and the economic fallout may be felt for several years to come.
“Despite the horrendous impact of COVID-19, our community’s resilience and determination to defeat the virus is something to be immensely proud of.”
Concern about coronavirus early last year swiftly grew in the federal and state governments amid rising case numbers, with Victoria’s then deputy chief health officer Annaliese van Diemen warning the predicted trajectory of the virus posed a significant risk.
On March 16 then-state health minister Jenny Mikakos declared a state of emergency, paving the way for the chief health officer to issue orders cancelling mass gatherings.
On March 27 the national cabinet resolved to implement a mandatory 14-day quarantine period for international arrivals. Victoria’s failed hotel quarantine program followed.
University of Melbourne professor Nancy Baxter, head of the school of population and global health, said the change to everyday life because of the pandemic had been unfathomable a year ago.
“It’s remarkable even thinking about where we are,’’ Prof Baxter said.
Prof Baxter recalled walking past a packed Victoria Market in February last year, thinking it would be the last time she would see such a big gathering for at least a year.
“Every month something surprised you — especially going down into the hard lockdown in Melbourne for as long as we did,’’ she said.
“And the fact that we did it — who would have thought a year ago that we would be all willing to stay in our houses for four months?
“And it was with relatively little complaining.
“People thought they’d be locked down for a couple of weeks — then we extended and extended.
“I think people gradually come to accept things that they’d never have accepted if it had happened all of a sudden.”
Victoria has recorded 20,436 coronavirus cases and 820 deaths, and conducted more than 4.3 million tests.
Originally published as Australia approves Pfizer COVID vaccine, Victoria marks anniversary of first virus case
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