Australia 80,000 doses Covid vaccine to arrive in Australia by the end of week

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Australia is expected to receive its first 80,000 doses of the Covid Pfizer vaccine by the end of next week, according to Greg Hunt.

The Health Minister said the doses would arrive under tight security from Belgium.

The vaccines will then undergo their final stage of testing from the Therapeutic Good Administration to ensure they are safe before being rolled out to vulnerable residents later this month.

'I’ve spoken to the country head of Pfizer and have confirmed that the vaccines are on track for arrival by the end of the week,' Mr Hunt told The Australian.

When will you get the COVID-19 vaccine?

Australia is about to start an ambitious vaccination program as part of the fight against COVID-19. Tell us a bit about yourself and we'll tell you where you are in the line.It's a huge logistical challenge to vaccinate to everybody in Australia who wants to be, so the Government is grouping people based on things such as their job and how vulnerable they are to the disease.

'Commencement of vaccinations – subject to arrival, quality and temperature controls – will take place in the last week of February.'

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The doses will be given to frontline workers and residents and staff at aged care and disability care facilities as part of the first phase of the vaccine rollout.

Other Australians will have access to the vaccine in later stages of the program as more orders arrive in the country.

Mr Hunt said it is critical that communications around the vaccine program are also targeted for culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.

'The government recognises that people from multicultural communities are a significant part of the health, aged care, child care and disability workforce and will be among the first people in Australia to receive vaccinations,' Mr Hunt said in a statement on Sunday.

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This will be a blessing to many countries, but it also presents very real risks.Fed up with being left behind in the global COVID-19 response, nations in Latin America, Africa and the European Union (EU) have turned to new saviours: Russia and China.

But shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers is concerned that Australia is languishing in rolling out the program, which is creating uncertainty in communities and the economy more broadly.

He said some 90 countries have their vaccinations program under way.

'After the prime minister said we were at the front of the queue 160 million people have been vaccinated around the world, while zero Australians have been vaccinated,' Dr Chalmers told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program.

Meanwhile, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is gearing up to lead a re-think of Australia's hotel quarantine program in light of the UK strain of coronavirus which now has his contact tracers in a frenzy.

© Provided by Daily Mail Health Minister Greg Hunt (pictured) said the doses would arrive from Belgium before undergoing their final staging of testing from the Therapeutic Good Administration

© Provided by Daily Mail Pictured: Minister for Regional Health Mark Coulton speaks to media about the Covid-19 vaccine at a DHL facility in Sydney on Sunday

On Saturday Mr Andrews said he had asked his health experts to do a risk assessment of the 'fast-moving' disease, which would form his position in a national discussion about hotel quarantine and when the vaccine is rolled out.

WA high-risk workers among those to receive 10,000 Pfizer vaccine doses in first rollout

The first COVID-19 vaccines are due to arrive in WA as part of the Federal Government's program by around February 22, with up to 10,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine allocated to high-risk workers and vulnerable populations.About 80 per cent of the population came out of a hard five-day lockdown overnight after no new local cases of the virus were uncovered.

The Morrison government remains in continuing discussions with the Northern Territory to expand the Howard Springs quarantine facility, having already expanded its capacity to 850.

'It's been obvious for sometime, certainly some months, that there has needed to be an expansion of federal facilities like this one,' Dr Chalmers said.

'It hasn't come soon enough to prevent those 40,000 Australians overseas, despite the prime minister's promise to get people home by Christmas.'

Victoria paused all international passenger flights from Saturday as part of its five-day statewide lockdown as health authorities attempt to ring-fence an outbreak of the infectious UK variant of the virus.

The state recorded two new local cases and a third in hotel quarantine on Saturday.

Victoria's health department listed four new exposure sites on Sunday morning. They are two Pascoe Vale swimming pools, and a Woolworths and bakery in Broadmeadows.

© Provided by Daily Mail Pictured: Packaging and fridges used to store Covid-19 vaccine at a DHL facility in Sydney, on Sunday February 14

© Provided by Daily Mail First in line to receive the jab are the elderly, vulnerable, frontline health workers, hotel quarantine staff, as well as aged and disability workers and residents

The state has 14 cases linked to the Holiday Inn outbreak.

Scientists, including Fauci, are facing off over whether to delay 2nd vaccine doses. Here's why the risk of more mutations from delaying shots may ultimately be worth it.

Experts are split on whether to delay the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines to get more people immunized. Prioritising first doses means that more vulnerable people get some protection against coronavirus, which could save lives. The risk of more coronavirus mutations could be the price we have to pay. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. Experts are split on whether governments should delay the second doses of coronavirus vaccines to ensure more people get a first shot.

In South Australia, the government has responded to its own cluster following a quarantine leak in late 2020 by opening a new facility for overseas travellers and locals who test positive for the virus.

Ahead of a tour of the 72-bed medi-hotel at Tom's Court Hotel in Adelaide, South Australian Health Minister Stephen Wade said it was the only COVID-positive facility in Australia.

'It delivers what we believe is the best model in Australia for the management of COVID-positive people,' Mr Wade said on Sunday.

Work has been performed at the hotel to improve ventilation to minimise the risk of airborne transmission, and there is additional CCTV to reduce floor movement.

It will be staffed by SA Health and SA Police staff and will open on Monday.

NSW and Queensland on Sunday reported no new local cases. It was the 28th consecutive day in NSW without local cases - the longest stretch since the pandemic began.

Victorian visitors to NSW are obliged to follow their home state's "stay at home" orders. This does not apply to residents of NSW border communities unless they have visited Greater Melbourne.

NSW has strongly advised residents to avoid non-essential travel to Victoria.

Tasmania, Northern Territory, Queensland, WA and SA have closed their borders to Victorian travellers.

Covid vaccines to be rolled out from MONDAY in NSW

Healthcare staff and those supporting New South Wales' hotel quarantine program will receive a Pfizer jab in the first stage of the state's vaccine rollout over the next three weeks.Healthcare staff and workers supporting the state's hotel quarantine program will get a Pfizer jab in the first stage of the state's vaccine rollout.