Following the 45th National Cabinet Meeting, our Prime Minister updated Australia on our COVID-19 Response, following the recent outbreaks across the country, and the COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy.
Prime Minister Morrison provided a four-phase vaccination roadmap to get Australia to the other side of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
A pathway from a pre-vaccination period which is focused on the suppression of the virus, on community transmission cases, to one that sees us manage Covid-19 as an infectious disease like any other in our community
State and territory leaders have agreed to a four-phase plan tied to vaccination thresholds for over-16s:
- Reaching a certain vaccination threshold after offering all Australians the chance to get the vaccine
- Post-vaccination phase where focus shifts from suppressing the virus to minimising serious illness and death
- Consolidation phase where health authorities manage Covid-19 similar to other infectious diseases like the flu
- Complete return to normal with no lockdowns or border closures, and quarantine only for unvaccinated travellers
We are dealing with the challenges of COVID-19 together and working together to deal with those challenges to deliver solutions.
VACCINE ROLLOUT
National Cabinet noted that Australians are doing a great job and stepping forward for their vaccines
Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues to expand. As of yesterday, 7,970,153 doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Australia, including 163,178 doses in the previous 24 hours.
Today Australia will reach its 8 millionth COVID-19 vaccination. In the previous 7 days, 807,777 vaccines have been administered in Australia.
Encouragingly, 30 per cent of the Australian adult population have now had a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This includes over 50 per cent of over 50 year olds and over 70 per cent of over 70 year olds.
We continue to suppress the virus. That involves the implementation of the national vaccination plan to offer every Australian an opportunity to be vaccinated with the necessary doses of the relevant vaccine as soon as possible.
The first phase is the one we are currently in – vaccinate, prepare and pilot.
The post-vaccination phase will be entered once we reach a threshold of vaccination to be determined by the modelling process we’re currently engaged in.
This will be a scientific number. It won’t be a political number, it won’t be an arbitrary number. It may include specific targets on vaccination of vulnerable populations, such as those over 70, and we are at 70 per cent now of the first dose for those over 70.
After that point, we will then move into a phase where we seek to minimise serious illness, hospitalisation and fatality as a result of Covid-19, and lockdowns would only occur in extreme circumstances to prevent escalating hospitalisation and fatality.
INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS
National Cabinet has agreed to halve the number of people allowed into Australia each week and to set up vaccination targets.
By July 14, international arrivals will be capped at 3,035 people a week, down from 6,370.
Commercial flight numbers will be cut, but the Commonwealth, in response to this, will increase the number of repatriation flights.
Our Prime Minister also announced that the federal government would conduct a trial of a shorter seven-day quarantine period with a small number of vaccinated travellers, instead of 14 days.
Reaching the vaccine target in the second phase would also mean international travel caps would lift for unvaccinated and vaccinated travellers.
To restore inbound passenger caps at that time to previous levels for unvaccinated returning travellers and then even larger caps for those who are vaccinated. We would be allowing a capped entry of student and economic visa holders, subject to quarantine arrangements and availability.
New quarantine arrangements for vaccinated travellers would also then be introduced, based on the outcomes of the trial which will take place in South Australia.
The third phase sees Australia dealing with COVID-19 like it does the seasonal flu and the fourth phase a return to pre-pandemic travel and life.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating, Australia has had the second-lowest number of deaths per capita of any OECD country. By working together, we are saving lives and jobs.
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