
Smirk on the water
Morrison’s final act as PM was a fitting reflection of his time in officePrime Minister Scott Morrison speaking at a press conference today. Image via ABC News
The press conference following today’s national cabinet meeting began with some good news for those under 50 wondering if, when and with what they are going to be vaccinated against COVID-19, following last night’s timeline-destroying AstraZeneca advice. Prime Minister Scott Morrison opened by announcing that the government had secured an extra 20 million Pfizer doses, bringing the total number to 40 million, with the additional supply to arrive some time in the final quarter of 2021 (i.e. the quarter by which we were all supposed to have received a first shot). There is, understandably, some scepticism as to whether this will occur: “secure”, as we have recently learnt, has a very different meaning to “receive”, with Australia having so far received very few of our previously secured doses, including only one million of Pfizer. The prime minister was – perhaps wisely – unwilling to commit to a new timetable, but he did commit to new transparency measures, with data to be released daily and weekly from now on. While the Pfizer announcement comes as a small relief, it doesn’t change the fact that the rollout remains an absolute fizzer, with most Australians still months away from seeing any kind of shot.
The government was very proud of itself for having secured more Pfizer doses, but the easy acquisition merely raises more questions as to why it hadn’t done so sooner, having been accused for many months – by experts, the media and the Opposition – of not securing enough stock of different varieties, thereby putting most of its eggs in one dubious basket. As Guardian Australia reports, the extra doses were in fact already part of our contract, one of the fail-safe measures put in if we required more. There are further questions as to where the new doses are coming from, something Health Minister Greg Hunt was unwilling to divulge, saying only that the sources did not wish to be identified. “That is understandable,” he added, following a justification that was in no way understandable.
The Morrison team was also – understandably – keen to reassure Australians over 50 that it was still okay for them to take the AstraZeneca vaccine, after last night’s poorly communicated announcement set people across the country panicking, leading some states to temporarily suspend the use of it altogether (in her post-cabinet press conference, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that her state had resumed administering it to those over 50). Doctors have today condemned the rollout as a “farce”, with GP clinics being inundated with calls from confused patients, and many now expecting far longer consultation times to explain the risks and benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine, as the Royal Australasian College of Physicians calls for calm, reassuring people that “it is still far better to be protected from COVID-19 than not”.
Australians now have more of an idea of how authorities are going to vaccinate a large population who were last night told that the vast majority of our stock isn’t recommended for them, but the rollout remains a shambles, with no end in sight – all because the Morrison government was too arrogant to hedge its bets. The government that doesn’t want to have lockdowns and doesn’t want states closing their borders has all but guaranteed that both of those things will occur again, as we wait for something we should have already had on order. Today, the government expected praise for having “secured” 20 million doses, six months down the line. If only it had listened to the warnings six months ago.
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