It’s official: as of February 22, 2021, Australia has reached a significant milestone during one of the most challenging, turbulent and unforgettable eras in living memory. Just shy of 13 months after the first case of the virus was detected on our shores, the nation’s vaccination program has begun its rollout, but questions still remain over when the general population can expect the jab and just how much the vaccine may change the new normal of everyday life. This explainer outlines everything we know so far, from the locations of vaccination hubs to the rollout timetable and what vaccine brands will be on offer.
Who will be getting the vaccine?
Anyone over the age of 18 who wants it will, in due course, be able to access the vaccine, although vaccinations will be entirely voluntary. Currently, there are no plans to vaccinate younger Australians, although this may change in the future depending on scientific data.
When will I be able to get vaccinated?
The answer to this depends on who you are, what you do, and your personal circumstances. Currently, Australia has 142,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in its possession – the first shipment of 20 million doses already bound for Aus – although enough doses to vaccinate the entire population have already been secured and ordered by the federal government. Authorities have said that the vaccination program represents the greatest logistical challenge faced by any Aussie government in modern history, and so exact timetables are yet to be cemented. However, we know that the rollout will be split into three phases, in five parts:
Phase 1a (requiring around 1.4 million doses): Quarantine and border workers; frontline health workers including lab technicians; and aged care and disability care staff and residents.
Phase 1b (requiring around 15 million doses): Elderly adults aged over 70; non-frontline health workers; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged over 55; younger adults with underlying medical conditions and disabilities; and critical and high-risk workers such as police, fire, defence, emergency service officers and meat processing plant employees.
Phase 2a (requiring around 16 million doses): Adults aged over 50; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 18 to 54; other critical services workers, such as power plant technicians and farmers.
Phase 2b (requiring around 16 million doses): The rest of the adult population aged over 18 and anyone from the previously outlined groups who have not already received their jab.
Phase 3 (requiring 13 million doses): Children and young adults under the age of 18, if recommended by health experts.
The time it takes to work through these different phases is largely dependent on how many people opt to have the vaccine, how quickly doses can be synthesised and shipped, and how efficiently doses can be distributed and administered. But the federal government’s plan is to eventually vaccinate as many as 200,000 people per day, with the aim of having the entire adult population vaccinated by around October 2021. Based on that projection, Phase 2b, when the majority of the adult population will get their jab, is currently estimated to begin in late July, with vaccinations taking until late September 2021, although this could be hindered by unanticipated delays.
What vaccines will be available?
Currently, as of February 22, there are two vaccines that have been fully tested, verified and approved for human use in Australia by the TGA. These are the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and the Astra Zeneca vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine has to be imported and will be used for the initial phases of the vaccination program. However, Australia will soon have the ability to produce the Astra Zeneca vaccine locally in Victoria, so it's expected that the majority of Australians will receive this vaccine by the end of the rollout program. Other vaccines are also being assessed, but since the TGA has one of the most stringent and meticulous approval processes in the world, it’s not currently thought that another vaccine will be passed for Australian use before the end of the year.
However, the two vaccines Australia will be distributing are highly trusted. Both the Pfizer and the Astra Zeneca vaccines have been shown to be extremely effective in preventing serious disease from the virus, with some trial data suggesting an efficacy rate of more than 90 per cent – an almost unheard-of level of protection from a modern vaccine. However, some research has suggested the efficacy rates may be lower for some variants of the virus. The TGA is closely monitoring this incoming data, but at present, authorities believe Australians have no cause for concern. Both vaccines require two doses, several weeks apart.
How will I know when I can actually get my jabs?
Anyone eligible for vaccination in phase 1 will have their appointment issued via their employer or care facility, to ensure the most streamlined process possible. Later phases will be by appointment at vaccination hubs and local centres, which people will be able to book via both digital and analogue means. There will be a publicity campaign to ensure the general public is kept informed about when their jabs are available.
Where will I get my jabs?
If you’re part of the general population being vaccinated in phase 2b, there will be multiple options, from local GP surgeries and general practices to larger vaccination hubs at hospitals and pop-up locations. The plan is to offer as many points of access as possible to the public to make getting the vaccine convenient and fast. In NSW, vaccination centres will initially be operating at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Westmead Hospital and Liverpool Hospital.
How much will it cost?
It won’t cost you a dime. Vaccinations will be totally free to everyone in Australia, regardless of their immigration status or home address.
When I get my vaccine, will I be allowed to travel?
All we can say at this point is that vaccination is very likely to be a key part of the way international travel resumes. Qantas boss Alan Joyce has suggested that travellers may have to prove they've been vaccinated to board flights out of the country, and we may see proof of vaccination added to the bio-signature information encoded in chipped passports in the future. However, there are still concerns about the dangers of stronger variants of the virus, with more infectious strains emerging in South America, the UK and Tokyo in just the past few weeks. It's also not yet fully understood if vaccinated people can still be carriers of the virus, and therefore potentially dangerous to unvaccinated people. Saying that, scientists around the world are closely studying vaccination programs, collecting data about how the virus is responding in various populations. This will hopefully help governments and travel operators safeguard travellers and allow tourism to resume.
If there are outbreaks here in Australia after I've received my vaccine, will I still need to follow health restrictions?
The short answer is yes. There currently isn't enough data to confirm if vaccinated people still pose a threat to those still waiting for the jab. However, health experts have said that totally irradicating the virus is highly unlikely, so we are going to have to learn to live with it for the foreseeable future. This means occasional mask use, hand hygiene, venue check-ins and social distancing are going to be part of daily life, possibly for good. But this isn't to say the same level of danger will persist. The aim is to make the virus a similar threat as seasonal flu, which still has the potential to kill but is easily managed and tolerated in the community. This will come eventually from herd immunity after the majority of the population has been vaccinated, which could be by late this year or early in 2022.