MICHAEL KIDD:
Good afternoon, my name is Michael Kidd. I'm the Deputy Chief Medical Officer with the Australian Government Department of Health. Australia's national COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to go from strength to strength. As of today, more than 34 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to people in Australia aged 12 years and above. This week, we've passed the 80 per cent double vaccination rates in both New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Victoria and Tasmania have passed the 70 per cent double vaccination rates, and vaccination rates continue to rise steadily in each of the other states and the Northern Territory. We now have 72.5 per cent of our population aged 16 and above double-vaccinated. And 86.4 per cent have received a first dose.
Our vaccination rollout continues at very high levels. Yesterday, over 273,000 people turned up for a COVID-19 vaccine. And over 1.7 million vaccines have been administered in Australia over the past week. One of the most pleasing statistics is that 98.3 per cent of people aged 70 and above in Australia have now received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with more than 87 per cent of our over-70s now double vaccinated. Despite the undoubted successes of our national vaccination programme, the job is not yet done. This is not a time to become complacent. While we now have over 72 per cent of those aged 16 and above double vaccinated, we still have many people who have either not yet received a vaccination, or have only received one dose so far. If you have not yet received your COVID-19 vaccination, wherever you are in the country, please arrange to do so. And if you've had your first dose, but you've missed your second dose, please arrange an appointment to get your second dose now. Those second doses are essential to provide you with essential protection and sustained protection against becoming seriously unwell with COVID-19. While we have high rates of vaccination coverage in many parts of the country, people who have not been vaccinated remain at risk, and so do their loved ones. Especially the elderly, and those with chronic health conditions that put them at increased risk if they contract COVID-19.
There are now nearly 10,000 sites where you can go and receive a COVID-19 vaccine, right across Australia. I want to thank everybody in Australia who's involved in our national vaccination program. Thank you, to the many nurses, and doctors, and pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals, who are administering the vaccines. Thank you to the many people who are working in each of the vaccination centres, and behind the scenes to support our vaccination effort. And thank you, to those of you who have taken a family member, or a neighbour, or a colleague to go and get their vaccines. This has been a communal effort by the people of our nation in response to this national emergency, and our response has been magnificent.
I want to say thank you especially to my colleagues in general practice and primary care. One of the great successes of Australia's approach to our national vaccination program has been the roll-out through our nation's general practices, pharmacies, and Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations. We know that many people have preferred to receive their vaccinations from the places where they normally receive vaccinations. Currently, 5592 general practices, 3408 pharmacies, 169 Aboriginal community-controlled health services, and 137 of our general practitioner-lead Commonwealth vaccination centres, are involved in the national vaccination program. Thank you to everybody working in those sites, in our state and territory vaccination centres, and to special services like the Royal Australian Flying Doctor service, and the many in-reach services into age care and disability care. Thank you all for your service to the people of Australia.
It's great to see the excitement in Victoria, and especially across the city of Melbourne, as lockdown restrictions are lifted. Thank you to everyone in Victoria for doing your part in following the lockdown requirements. This has prevented the current outbreak in the state from spiralling out of control, and has provided the opportunity for more and more people to become vaccinated and protected against serious disease. Please continue to follow the restrictions which are in place to support and protect us all. This week, we passed another milestone with over 150,000 cases of COVID-19 reported in Australia since the start of the pandemic. We now have had 156,372 cases of COVID-19 reported in Australia, and 1622 people have lost their lives. Over the past week, we've seen more than 16,000 new cases reported across the country. This past week alone has accounted for over 11 per cent of all the locally acquired COVID-19 cases in Australia since the start of the pandemic.
There's been a lot of discussion over the past week about booster doses for COVID-19 vaccines. We currently have third doses of COVID-19 vaccines available for people age 12 years and above who are immunocompromised. This third dose is important to provide those people with optimal protection against COVID-19. And particularly for those who may have had a suboptimal immune response to the original two doses. The boosters are separate issue. As you may know, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the TGA, and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, ATAGI, are now considering booster doses for all those who have been double-vaccinated. This is being considered for everyone once six months have passed since you received your second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
I need to emphasise that if you have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine you are fully vaccinated, and you are already very well protected against becoming severely unwell if you are infected with COVID-19. This is little evidence at this time, that protection against severe disease wanes over time in those who are double vaccinated. But what we do know if that antibody levels fall over time and there is a risk of breakthrough infections where vaccinated people may become infected and at risk of transmitting COVID-19 to others. So, a booster dose, if you like, turbo charges your immune response and provides additional layers of protection to you and to your loved ones, and to the wider community. If it is now six months since you received the second dose of your COVID-19 vaccine, there is no reason to be anxious.
But I do recommend that if boosters do become available, that you present for your booster dose when it is your turn. It is likely if booster doses are approved that these will rollout initially to those who were vaccinated first in Australia. Which includes the residents and staff of residential aged care facilities, and disability care facilities, healthcare workers, and those working in border and quarantine facilities. COVID-19 vaccines are keeping us all safe. Australia is now one of the most highly vaccinated countries in the world. We are certainly one of the most freshly vaccinated countries in the world, and if booster doses are approved, we will be one of the first countries in the world to commence a widespread booster program. I'm happy to take any questions, I have on the phone, Rob. Just waiting for Rob. Okay, we might go to Tom.
CALLER TOM:
Thanks, Professor. There's been a bit of suggestions this morning that people who are shorter in [indistinct].
MICHAEL KIDD:
Sorry?
CALLER TOM:
The shorter time [indistinct] perhaps a new heightened risk of that, or breakthrough infections and the like, and should be really rushing to get that booster dose as soon as it becomes available once that six-month window comes along. What's your advice to those people specifically? Are they at greater risk because they've shortened that window?
MICHAEL KIDD:
So, what we've seen during the outbreaks is that- ATAGI recommended that people reduce the time between the two doses of the vaccine. The AstraZeneca vaccine, the recommendations for the two doses, have always been between four to 12 weeks apart. We started the program with people receiving the vaccine 12 weeks apart, and that was in part to insure that we could provide first doses to as many people as possible when we had limitations with the supply of vaccine. There is no evidence that we have available that if you received your vaccine in a shorter period, as long as it's within that four to 12 weeks, that you're at greater risk of losing you r immunity. All people who have received two doses of one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines in Australia, are fully vaccinated and well protected. Thanks Tom.
CALLER TOM:
Just a- just a follow-up question if that's alright.
MICHAEL KIDD:
Yep. Sure.
CALLER TOM:
There are others as well, who- some people have suggested that they want to wait until Novavax arrives in Australia, perhaps in a few months' time, rather than getting one of the vaccines available now. What's your advice to those people? And do you have any idea when Novavax is going to arrive?
MICHAEL KIDD:
So, at the moment we don't know when Novavax will become available. We're still waiting for Novavax to go through its processes of being assessed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. My advice to people is do not wait. We have highly effective vaccinations available now, and we also know that we are going to get further community transmission now that lockdowns are being lifted and as we move through the phases of our national reopening plan. So, please do not wait for other vaccines, please get vaccinated now, and make sure that you and your family are protected. Thanks, thanks Tom. I'll go to Rob.
CALLER ROB:
Can you hear me professor?
MICHAEL KIDD:
I can hear you Rob, yes.
CALLER ROB:
Okay, great, thank you. I don't know if this question has been answered, my phone was playing up, but has Pfizer submitted its final data to the Government and to the Therapeutic Goods Administration going into the meeting on Monday. If it has, and if it's approved, would it be approved on Monday? Could we see [Indistinct] by the end of next weekend, as it's been reported.
MICHAEL KIDD:
Thank you. So, I'm not sure if people can hear the question, but the question is: has Pfizer submitted the material which are needed for the TGA assessment about the booster doses. The TGA committee, which looks at these recommendations, is meeting on Monday. I don't want to pre-empt what the committee is going to decide, but once we have formal approval, if that's provided by the TGA, we also have to get the formal recommendations from ATAGI. As Minister Hunt announced this week, Rob, if the TGA and ATAGI provide formal approval of booster doses, we expect to be ready to commence our booster program by November 8. Particularly, as I mentioned, in those aged care, disability care facilities, and among healthcare workers who were vaccinated more than six months ago. It may even be able to commence a little earlier, but let's wait and see what happens over the coming few days. Thanks Rob.
CALLER ROB:
Has Pfizer submitted that data yet?
MICHAEL KIDD:
My understanding is that Pfizer has submitted the data which the TGA needs to look at, and that will be happening on Monday. Whether there is further information required from Pfizer, we've got to wait and see what the TGA determines. Thanks Rob. Do I have Johnathan on the phone?
CALLER JOHNATHAN:
You do. Professor Kidd, thanks very much for your time on a Saturday afternoon. Can I just ask you, in relation to the booster shots, what's the latest with our percentages plans to put proposals to the TGA for booster doses there? For people who've received AstraZeneca [indistinct] they'd be wanting to know when their AstraZeneca booster could be? And could we see a scenario, in perhaps early next year, mixing and matching in terms of receiving a Pfizer and an AstraZeneca?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Thanks. Great question, Johnathan. So, we're still- we haven't received information as far as I'm aware, at the TGA about booster doses for the AstraZeneca vaccine. You are quite right though, as further vaccines are approved for use in Australia, we may well see the so-called 'mix and match' occur where people may receive two doses of one vaccine and a booster does of another vaccine. It remains to be seen as to what is recommended as providing the best protection and the best support over time. Obviously, the TGA and ATAGI are following the research which is underway around the world with a number of these vaccines. But also, the real life experience which is happening in other countries as well. And all that will help to inform further recommendations.
CALLER JOHNATHAN:
Sorry, just to follow-up on that, Professor. Who would make that decision on the mix and match? Is it- does it have to be the TGA, or is it ATAGI who would make that call?
MICHAEL KIDD:
So, it's a combination of both, of TGA- is obviously looking at the approval of vaccines both for initial use, and in the case of the Pfizer vaccine, is now looking at that vaccine for booster. ATAGI provides the practical recommendations on what is safe with the vaccine rollout and so we have to wait for their advice as well. Thanks Johnathan. Thank you everybody, and thank you to our interpreter.
Thank you.
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