Graph exposes Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine failure

A sobering graph has exposed Australia’s failings when it comes it administering the COVID-19 vaccine.

Our World In Data revealed just how far behind the nation is with its rollout as countries like the US, UK, Canada and Spain continue to forge ahead.

Just 3.1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Australia so far, well behind the 274 million doses in the US, 183 million in India and 57 million in the UK.

New Zealand has also administered close to 400,000 doses of the jab.

The Morrison government has long been criticised for its slow roll out, with fury often coming from state leaders who argue it is impossible to plan the rollout because the federal government isn’t transparent about when and how many doses they’re getting.

Earlier in the week the government was slammed for its slow rollout within the disability care sector.

Fewer than 1000 disability care residents have received a COVID-19 vaccine, new figures revealed.

The disability royal commission on Monday heard from senior counsel assisting Kate Eastman that the vaccine rollout was an “abject failure”.

But she said she understood the commission would need to hear the federal government’s explanation for the low inoculation rates.

“These are people who represent some of our most vulnerable members of the population,” Eastman said.

“The Australian government rollout of vaccines to people with disability in residential care - and these are people who represent some of the most vulnerable people in our population - has been an abject failure.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt said 999 disability residents had been vaccinated as of noon on Monday.

At the time, a further 1526 support workers had also received a jab.

Hunt said now that 60 per cent of residential aged care facilities had received a second visit, the government was moving into the next stage of the disability rollout.

“Those teams are being redeployed into disability [care facilities],” he said.

Meanwhile, NSW is forging ahead with its rollout, opening up the program to people aged in their 40s after thousands registered their interest.

Those who fall into the age bracket will be given leftover doses of the Pfizer vaccine at Sydney’s vaccination hub in Homebush.

The news came on the same day the federal government said more than 4000 GPs would join the rollout.

Anyone aged between 50 and 70 can visit one of the thousands of GP clinics across Australia that are registered to be part of the program.

“There are over 4300 GPs delivering vaccines to people aged 50 years and over from May 17," the Department of Health said in a statement.

“More than 1500 of those are in the regions, in regional, rural and remote Australia."

More than 40 million doses have been administered in Germany, 29 million in France and close to 28 million in Italy.

Australia is now buying 25 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to keep up with demand and amid blood clot concerns with the AstraZeneca.

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