Greg Hunt plays down anti-vax fears over AstraZeneca stoush with Palaszczuk, Albanese demands Toowoomba quarantine facility
Australians will not succumb to anti-vaxxers emboldened by mixed messaging on the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Health Minister says.
The federal government’s push to open AstraZeneca to people aged under 50 last week prompted a public brawl with the Queensland government, sparking fears of damage to confidence in the national rollout.
Anti-vaxxer activity online has spiked because of the confused messaging, as conspiracy groups seize on the apparent uncertainty.
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But as Mr Hunt confirmed the Therapeutic Goods Administration was considering opening up vaccines to 12-15 year olds, he insisted Australia had always boasted high vaccination rates and there was “strong confidence” in the Covid-19 rollout.
“The real damage (anti-vaxxers) do is by spreading falsehoods and undermining people’s confidence. But the truth is, Australians are great vaccinators,” he said.
Queensland chief health officer Jeanette Young undercut the federal government’s rollout last week, claiming there was no need to administer AstraZeneca to “young, fit, healthy people” who could die from receiving it.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk publicly backed Dr Young, falsely claiming the UK had barred people aged under 40 from receiving the jab.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham slammed the pair for their “extremist” interventions, which he warned were “deeply unhelpful” to vaccine confidence.
But Mr Hunt declined to criticise Ms Palaszczuk directly, insisting the federal government would “work constructively” with the states.
“I understand there will be voices or opinions (at) different times, (but) our goal is really simple: … ensure that as many people are vaccinated as early as possible,” he said.
The Health Minister repeated that mantra when defending vaccine supply to the states after NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard likened the competition for doses to “the Hunger Games”.
“Until we get enough vaccine (doses) and enough GPs actually at the frontline able to provide that vaccine into arms, we will continue to have effectively the Hunger Games going on here in NSW,” Mr Hazzard said on Monday.
Mr Hunt said NSW would receive an extra 282,000 doses by the end of this month, up from 400,00o this month.
“What that shows is we’re able to achieve record results, record vaccinations with the combination of AstraZeneca … and Pfizer,” he said.
But federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese said Mr Hazzard had delivered an “apt description” and the states were justified in being frustrated.
“This is a NSW Liberal health minister saying that the rollout of the vaccine is like Hunger Games, and (that) says it all 18 months into the pandemic,” he told reporters on Monday
Mr Hunt also ruled out supporting a federal quarantine facility in Toowoomba, backed by the Queensland government, saying the “strong, overwhelming” view in the local community was against it.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison in June instead suggested a site near Brisbane Airport as suitable, though the plan was dismissed by the state government for lacking detail.
Speaking in Toowoomba, Mr Albanese said the Brisbane site should “also be looked at” but warned it would not be functional until at least next year.
He accused Mr Morrison of arbitrarily ruling out land not owned by the commonwealth, saying the Toowoomba plan could make 600 beds available within 12 weeks.
“This federal government’s just been looking for excuses to not do things,” he said.
“This is a crisis; we had last week 12 million Australians locked down … This proposal is a sensible one, and the Prime Minister should not be looking for impediments, he should be looking at how we make this happen.”
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