As Australia awaits the release of the coronavirus vaccine, new figures suggest that people are more than happy to receive their vaccine.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says that immunization rates at the age of five are now beyond the 95% coverage aspirational goal.
“Achieving our 95 percent goal supports collective immunity to prevent the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases,” said Hunt in a statement on January 24.
“These figures show that Australians have the capacity and willingness to lead the world in adopting COVID-19 vaccines, as they recognize the importance of vaccination and how it protects and saves lives.”
In the December 2020 quarter, Australia’s vaccination coverage rate for five-year-olds increased to 95.09%, exceeding the World Health Organization’s estimated international average of 86%.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, aged five, have the highest immunization rates in the country, 97.25%.
At the same time, Australia’s seasonal influenza vaccination program continues to provide an increasing number of vaccines for Australians of all ages.
In 2020, the independent medical regulator, Therapeutic Goods Administration, launched more than 17.6 million doses of seasonal flu vaccines for the Australian market.
Hunt believes this shows the Australians’ faith in the TGA to provide expert advice and ensure the safety and effectiveness of all vaccines provided to the community.
The TGA is expected to give the approval signal soon on a COVID-19 vaccine for implantation starting next month.
Meanwhile, no new cases acquired locally were reported in Australia on Saturday.
Victorian officials on Saturday reported a new case related to the Australian tennis opener, a 20-year-old man who is not a player.
Three other non-players – two men in their 30s and one in their 50s – have been confirmed to carry the highly contagious British strain of the virus.
There are 10 active cases linked to the Open and 970 people associated with the quarantined tournament.
In NSW, residents of dozens of suburbs are being urged to monitor for any possible symptoms of coronavirus after viral fragments were detected at two sewage treatment plants.
NSW Health said its sewage surveillance program recently detected fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 at the Liverpool and Glenfield factories in southwest Sydney.
Seven cases have been reported in a hotel quarantine – three in Victoria, two in Western Australia and one in NSW and the Northern Territory.
WA will reopen its borders to NSW and Queensland starting on Monday, although travelers still have to isolate themselves for 14 days.
Colin Brinsden in Canberra