COVID-19, the chaos continues…

SLOWER THAN EXPECTED... Status of vaccine rollout as of Sunday, April 11. Image: Supplied

IF YOU’VE tuned into the national media coverage over the past week, you will have been witness to the rapidly changing situation of Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

The Federal Government’s planned rollout of the vaccine, is in a very obvious and increasing, state of chaos. The latest issue to throw a spanner in the works, was of course the announcement we heard late last week, regarding the potential side effects of taking the AstraZeneca vaccine, the only vaccine we can currently make in Australia, making it the key pillar on which the national rollout strategy was built.

The sheer scale of the campaign alone, being the largest and most complex; vaccination campaign in our nation’s history, meant that the logistics alone were bound to create significant hurdles for those driving the rollout.

The initial issues however, such as the delayed arrival of international supplies and the flow-on impacts of such, seemingly pale in comparison to those we currently face.

To say the Government may have overshot the mark with their goal; to have the rollout completed, (administered in full, to the country’s 20 million adults) by the end of October this year, would be an understatement.

Realistically, at the current average rate of 335,000 doses a week administered, it seems we wouldn’t be likely to see the last jab take place until early July 2023.

If you’re wondering where this leaves you personally, in terms of receiving your dose, the simplest way to find out, is to fill in a quick questionnaire which produces an instant response, go to the ABC’s website: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-05/when-will-you-get-the-covid-19-vaccine/13112610

At the time of print, the Federal Government had not yet released a revised schedule for the rollout.