Australian Covid vaccination crosses 300k jabs per day in August

 Vaccination and Covid going gangbusters...


Australia's Covid-19 vaccination effort is going gangbusters. More than 300k persons per day were being vaccinated in the final week of August. One-third of adults are double vacc'd. This achievement pushes forward the projection for economic opening.  

Covid cases also started accelerating recently in New South Wales, the state with one-third of Australia's population. Covid new cases rose daily, alongside vaccinations, hitting 1000 in the last days of August. Lockdown has been the result, and only particular target vaccination levels will remove some of these restrictions. If 70% of the Australian adult population is vaccinated, then national flying will be more or less unrestricted, among other benefits. An 80% adult vaccination level would mean international borders open, with foreign students also being able to enter, with a consequent impact on economic activity and prices. 80% signals that a small number of deaths from Covid would be accepted as 'normal'. 

The Australiabynumbers projection indicates that the 70% vaccination target has now moved forward to mid-October (16th), and dramatically, the 80% level has moved forward to late October. This estimate is based on modelling that assumes the 300k jabs a day currently being used for first and second jabs, will be used largely for second vaccinations by mid-October.  

Vaccine shy? A small portion of people are likely to skip vaccination due to concerns, but this won’t alter the big picture.

There is an important residual conflict of policy between states. Western Australia and Queensland appear to be vacillating on earlier national vaccination target agreements bringing a relaxation of rules on freedom of interstate movement. This has brought additional political ammunition between and within political parties. The Liberal Party was slow to commence mass vaccination, but is now performing fast, and has an end game. The Labor Party is now divided between supporting the 'national plan' on opening, or attempting to promote a more conservative approach.

Allan Joyce of Qantas is keen as capitalist to open the economy to international travel and has made a recent propaganda speech for Qantas to start flying worldwide by December.

A final note: Australia's current vaccination rate, 330k per day, is around 1.3% of the whole population. Although this is extraordinary, it does not yet exceed what was achieved by several other countries over the last month, including  Ireland, Canada, Iceland, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands and Portugal.

Comments and questions and criticisms, as always, welcome.

#Australia #Covid-19 #Vaccinationdone

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