Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government's Australian approach to the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines is contributing to the next stage of Australia's world-class pandemic containment and capacity strategy?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Boothby, in particular for her work in helping to advocate for the brain and spinal rehab unit at the repat hospital and also for her work, along with everybody in this House, in helping to bring to bear national support for a containment and a capacity strategy, a containment strategy that today has seen the nation again record zero cases of community transmission of COVID-19. That is six out of the last seven days. That is 26 days of zero cases of community transmission nationwide this year. Across Australia, that's an extraordinary national achievement together. It compares with the agonising situation we see in so much of the world at the same time, with over 367,000 cases and over 7½ thousand lives lost in the last 24 hours. Indeed, the world is approaching 2½ million lives officially lost to COVID-19.

All of the things we've done together—borders, over 14 million tests, tracing and the difficult distancing measures—have contributed to this. At the same time, we've been building capacity in our primary care—we're now at 49 million consultations through telehealth—and the work that has been done in our hospitals. The next stage is the vaccine rollout. I was pleased to be able to make the announcement today that the second shipment of vaccines has arrived, 166,000 units, and that will be followed next week by more, which means that over each of the coming weeks we plan to replicate that which is being done this week with the rollout, which we've all seen commence. What that means is 80,000 doses being distributed this week, and we plan on distributing 80,000 doses next week—50,000 to the states and 30,000 to aged care. The following week we're again looking at 80,000 doses—approximately 50,000 to the states and 30,000 to aged care. All of this is part of phase 1a. We'll soon enough move, after approximately six weeks, to phase 1b. That will mean that we'll start with our over-80s, our over-70s and immunocompromised Australians. We'll work with Indigenous Australians over 55 and critical frontline workers.

So we are focusing right now on that rollout. That rollout is providing protection, but, above all else, it's the next stage that will provide hope to Australians.