They were two clunky cultural commentaries prepared for TV news.
“The eagle is lying,” Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Monday, reporting that 142,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine had been rubbed in Australia – after much concern.
And then, the next day “AstraZeneca has been cleared for construction” he said, before announcing that the Therapeutic Goods Administration had approved the AZ vaccine for use for all Australians – with some cubs.
Keeping the credentials going, vaccine news – especially this week – has been traveling at a fast pace.
But both news, one day after another, is crucial for Australia ‘s vaccine rollout – what the government calls the largest procurement exercise the country has ever seen.
It means the main vaccine to be distributed in Australia – and manufactured by the biomedical company CSL at 50 million doses at 1 million doses a week from the end of March – has been approved. and ready to go.
It also means that Australians now have a bit of certainty about a few things:
The list of known people is, at present, small.
The list of unknown is much larger.
And the most unfamiliar thing revolves around the continued delivery of Pfizer vaccine into the country.
At the moment, as the world scrapes for vaccines, the Government does not know – or does not reveal – exactly when the second delivery will take place, or the third or fourth.
And it is also unknown how much Pfizer vaccine it will receive in early delivery.
A spokesman for the Minister for Health told the ABC: “Our first weekly allocation [of Pfizer vaccine] at 142,000 for this week, with further doses to be confirmed each week. “
“The Commonwealth continues to work closely with Pfizer and the states and regions on the delivery schedule for the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine program.”
Earlier this week, the Health Minister confirmed that Australia expects at least 1 million doses per month from April, as part of their first agreement with Pfizer for 10 million doses.
The period for the “additional agreement” for an additional 10 million doses in 2021 is “to be determined”.
According to former Health Secretary Stephen Duckett, the pressure is now on the Government as they have “talked to” the swift vaccination.
“I was on the side of the Government and I didn’t think we needed to push for early vaccination, given our global situation,” said Dr Duckett.
“But the problem is that they’ve announced those dates and the public is reasonably saying,‘ You’ve said you were going to start with it now – so how are you going to do? ‘. “
Where do I get the injection?
Although the Government released some details earlier this month, no-one else knows where most Australians will have to go to get vaccinated when the ramps come. in late March and April – and when they are notified that this is their chance.
The ABC understands that GPs who have expressed an interest in being involved in phase 1b of the vaccine rollout – which will target the AstraZeneca vaccine – will be notified if needed next week.
Dr Duckett said delivery was “a key issue” and that the Government would need at least 1 million injections a week to get close to its deadline for vaccination for all Australians who want one before October.
“Say, for example, that you will take them [CSL] at their word of producing 1 million doses a week, you still have a question about getting it into people ‘s arms, “he said.
“I hear a lot of GPs have put their hand up, which is great, but many of them say ‘I’d rather vaccinate my patients’ [so] they do not vaccinate much.
“It’s good that they’re doing that, but they won’t be able to do a lot of people quickly. “
As part of the process, patients must be monitored for 30 minutes after receiving the injection.
Dr Duckett said there would likely be a “second wave” of small-scale doctor clinics “but again they may not have room for many people to be vaccinated quickly”.
And the third group is GPs who set up real vaccine clinics, such as the ones set up in their car park, for example.
“But of the three lots, if most GPs just want to vaccinate their patients themselves, you’re not going to hit a million a week.
“Logistics here is huge.”
Pharmacists are expected to be involved in phase 2a of the rollout from May. The expression of interest process ended this week.
What about the variables?
The question of whether COVID-19 vaccines can adapt to the changes of the virus was raised again this week.
New changes appear regularly, so they have new questions about whether COVID-19 vaccines will be able to sustain.
Early evidence indicates that it is not “unknown”, with experts saying that the new changes are likely to be covered by the existing COVID-19 vaccines – especially the vaccines mRNA such as Pfizer – although experts say that some injections may slightly affect the effectiveness of the vaccines.
According to Tony Cunningham of the Westmead Institute, a vaccine expert for more than 40 years, studies are coming out every week that made a “slight difference” in their findings.
“We don’t have good enough data yet,” said Dr Cunningham.
“But if I were to speak to a general audience on this issue, I would say that there are some circulating lines that are a threat to the routine distribution of vaccines, yes.
“And they may only need to be treated with new-generation vaccines or boosters to treat these rays if they become widespread.
“But we should not be afraid, scientists and vaccine makers say they can do this.”
Dr Cunningham has said that so far Australia has been protected from the changes by their hotel quarantine system.
“And as long as we bottle up the variables it should be okay,” he said.
Oxford University is already working on a printed version of the AstraZeneca vaccine to address the South African strain, with a newer version expected in the coming months.