Daniel Andrews has warned that Victorians may risk losing their fully-vaccinated privileges if they do not get their booster shot.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, the premier said it would be up to residents to ensure ‘the maintenance of your vaccination status’.
Mr Andrews said he will encourage residents to get the third dose if the booster is approved by the medical regulator for distribution to the general public.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is set to meet with The Therapeutic Goods Administration Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation and discuss the matter on Monday.
If the booster is approved, the third dose could be available to the public as early as next week.
Daniel Andrews has warned that Victorians may risk losing their fully-vaccinated privileges if they do not get their booster shot
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, the premier suggested it would be up to residents to ensure ‘the maintenance of your vaccination status’
‘I hope, and we’ll play our part in this, like a month before your six months is up, then you will get a message and your vaccination certificate, the thing that gets you the green tick, you’ll be prompted to go and book a time to go and have your booster shot,’ Mr Andrews said.
‘There may be state clinics in that or it might be all done through GPs and pharmacies, that hasn’t been worked through yet. We’re happy to play our part, though. So it’ll be about the maintenance of your vaccination status.’
Australians who have had two doses of Pfizer will get Pfizer for their booster. Those who had two doses of Moderna will get a third shot of Moderna.
Those who had two doses of AstraZeneca can be given either Pfizer or Moderna for their booster.
Federal health minister Greg Hunt later reassured Australians that double-jabbed residents were still considered to be ‘fully vaccinated’.
‘We have both the supply ordered and distribution capabilities to support any booster program recommended and currently, there is enough vaccine distributed for every Australian who chooses to do so to have their two doses to be considered fully vaccinated,’ he said.
‘It is a matter for states as to how they wish to communicate that in addition to the national messaging.’
Mr Andrews has announced major changes to Victoria’s roadmap when the state reaches its next two major vaccination milestones.
With Victoria set to hit its 80 per cent full vaccination target ahead of schedule sometime next weekend, restrictions will ease further and align across the state from 6pm on Friday.
The ban on travel between Melbourne and regional Victoria will be scrapped, reconnecting the state for the first time since the city’s 77-day lockdown lifted.
Mr Andrews has announced major changes to Victoria’s roadmap when the state reaches its next two major vaccination milestones
Masks will no longer need to be worn outdoors, entertainment venues, gyms and retail stores can reopen indoors for fully vaccinated patrons, and capacity limits will increase for restaurants, pubs and cafes.
Students from every year level across the state also return to full-time, face-to-face learning on November 1 before Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup public holiday.
Longer term, Mr Andrews laid out a plan for the state once 90 per cent of the 12-plus population are fully vaccinated, forecast on or around November 24.
‘There will be a fundamental change, a massive change, in many respects, to the rules that we have all been living under,’ the premier told reporters.
All venue caps and density quotients will be scrapped at that point, along with mandatory indoor mask rules except in high-risk or low-vaccinated settings such as hospitals and schools.
Limits on home and outdoor gatherings will be shelved, paving the way for families to come together en masse at Christmas, while vaccine passport requirements expand to staff and patrons of non-essential retail stores
Limits on home and outdoor gatherings will be shelved, paving the way for families to come together en masse at Christmas, while vaccine passport requirements expand to staff and patrons of non-essential retail stores.
Mr Andrews warned Victoria’s ‘vaccinated economy’ would remain into 2022, with those who refuse to get the jab excluded from workplaces, venues and major events.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the easing of restrictions was too slow and not in line with national cabinet’s plan.
‘What the government says applies at 90 per cent should apply at 80 per cent,’ he said.
Victoria reported 1935 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths on Sunday, taking the toll from its current outbreak to 223.