NATALIE BARR:
In breaking news today, Australia's COVID vaccine rollout is officially underway across the country this morning. Infectious Diseases Physician at Monash Health, Professor Rhonda Stewart, was the first person in Victoria to receive the Pfizer jab.
DAVID KOCH:
In New South Wales, Premier Gladys Berejiklian watched on as the first vaccine was administered at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. This is a live look inside the RPA vaccine hub, frontline workers are lining up their inoculation. They're expecting to do 60,000 people across the country this week alone.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd, joins us now. Michael, good to see you again. This day has been a long time coming. It's pretty significant, isn't it?
MICHAEL KIDD:
It absolutely is. This is an absolute milestone in our battle against COVID-19. And I'd just like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has got us to this point, not only to the wonderful nurses and doctors who are administering the vaccines in the hubs around Australia today, and who'll be administering vaccines in residential aged care facilities and disability care facilities over the coming week, but also to everybody who's been working behind the scenes. And of course, to our amazing researchers who have produced this modern medical miracle in producing this vaccine in such a short period of time.
NATALIE BARR:
Twenty per cent of people still don't want this, they are still concerned about it. One of the main reasons is they say it is rushed. What do you say to them?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Well, of course we have 80 per cent of people who are very keen to get the vaccine, and we have 20 per cent of people who at the moment are hesitant about whether to get the vaccine or not. This has not been rushed; the Therapeutic Goods Administration have gone through exactly the same rigorous and thorough procedures that they go through before approving any vaccine or any new medicine in Australia. What has happened is that it has happened quickly, but no corners have been cut. So, everyone around Australia, this vaccine is safe and effective.
DAVID KOCH:
Okay. Michael, we're learning a bit more about this all the time. And I was reading over the weekend, they're finding in the UK if you leave the second AstraZeneca shot until 12 weeks, like an extended period(*) between shots, the efficacy goes up to 80, 85 per cent. Is that right? Will we change the program because of that?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Well, the recommendation by the TGA when it approved the AstraZeneca vaccine a week or so ago was that the vaccine, the second dose, be administered up to 12 weeks after the first, so that's our recommendation for the AstraZeneca vaccine. And those early findings, there was a Lancet journal report last week that showed efficacy in the 80 per cent range for the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is very good, but further research findings, of course, are coming through every day.
DAVID KOCH:
Yep. That's [indistinct]…
NATALIE BARR:
[Talks over] Okay. That sounds like what we'll do. Okay, Professor Kidd, thank you very much.
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