KARL STEFANOVIC:
Now, to the long awaited vaccine campaign; two versions playing out across our screens from last night.
ALLISON LANGDON:
For most of the country you saw this: a commercial urging Aussies to arm themselves to protect their families and communities. For Sydney residents in lockdown however, a far more confronting campaign. We are joined now by Lieutenant General John Frewen, who is the leader of the Vaccination Task Force. Lieutenant General, thanks for your time this morning. It doesn't miss, this ad. Some are saying it's too much, though.
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah, look Ally, we launched the Arm Yourself campaign yesterday. That's the one that we've been waiting to release for a while, just to rally Australians to vaccinate themselves and their loved ones and their communities but the conditions in Sydney right now, we felt warranted the use of that other commercial. It is confronting, but it leaves people, I think, in no doubt about the seriousness of getting COVID and it seeks to have people stay at home, get tested, and get vaccinated as quickly as they can.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
When you first saw it, were you- did you see what people would see, that it was pretty confronting?
JOHN FREWEN:
Absolutely. It is absolutely confronting and we didn't use it lightly. There was serious consideration given to whether it was required and we took expert advice. We took medical advice from Professor Kelly, and we thought it was the time to run that ad in Sydney right now.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Why is it the time? Are you that worried about the situation in Sydney at the moment?
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah, look, it's a very concerning situation. The Delta variant is proving to be, you know, very difficult to contain, so we're working very closely with New South Wales authorities and we're standing ready to help them in any way we can. You might have seen that we're shifting an additional 300,000 doses of vaccines there across this week and next week. So, yes, it's a challenge.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Just inside New South Wales as well, there was some speculation over the weekend that the army might be called in. Have you had any conversations along those lines at all with New South Wales officials?
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah, look, I'm focused on the vaccine rollout, that's a matter for the CDF and Defence and New South Wales.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
And do you know if they have had those conversations, though?
JOHN FREWEN:
Look, I'm sure, having come out of that role over the last, sort of, 15 months before doing this, Defence always has contingency plans but again, New South Wales authorities will seek assistance if they need it.
ALLISON LANGDON:
We were speaking to the Mayor of Liverpool a little earlier on the show and she said there's still an issue with access to vaccines in the south-west of Sydney. Knowing that you've got a million Pfizer coming on from next week, how many of those will be prioritised for Sydney, and specifically that south-west region?
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah. So, New South Wales have their current allocations. Of the 300,000 additional doses, 150,000 of those are Pfizer. I've spoken with the lead of the program there in New South Wales, and I think the vast majority of those will be heading down into that area of Sydney so- But the vaccine rollout does need to keep happening across Sydney more broadly and across the state, but right now there is a clear focus being given on that area.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Probably justified criticism of the AstraZeneca is in the way that the goalposts have shifted with it, as you would know only too well. They shifted again over the weekend. This doesn't lead to confidence in the messaging around AstraZeneca, would you concede?
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah, look, I think the issue about duration between doses hasn't changed. The AstraZeneca has been licenced for dosage between four to 12 weeks. 12 weeks is optimal, but, like we've been saying all along, there's an informed consent process with a GP. One dose is better than no dose, but two doses is best of all. So right now, anybody who's awaiting their second dose of either vaccine should be talking to their GPs or providers.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
The issue is that if you had enough Pfizer, people would be getting Pfizer.
JOHN FREWEN:
AstraZeneca is a viable, safe, and effective vaccine. It has been the backbone of our rollout. I don't think it's that clear cut.
ALLISON LANGDON:
No? I mean, there's definitely far more reluctance to get the AstraZeneca than there is Pfizer.
JOHN FREWEN:
We've still had- since the ATAGI ruling that shifted the age cohort recommendation, there has been more than a million doses of AstraZeneca. Since the PM's announcement the other week, we've had, you know, more than 10,000 young Australians seek to have AstraZeneca, under 40s. They're making choices about their risk category and the current situation, and that's appropriate.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
More need to get vaccinated in that category, right?
JOHN FREWEN:
Look, we need to stay focused on the most vulnerable. They're still the most important. So, I particularly urge people over 60, if they either haven't had their vaccination or they've got their second shot pending, they're the ones that we need to get fully vaccinated most quickly. But I also encourage all Australians to seek to at least book in their vaccination, if not get their vaccination as quickly as they can.
ALLISON LANGDON:
We heard this morning, again from the Liverpool Mayor, that constituents in her region, some of those who are elderly are finding it difficult to get to these mass vaccination hubs. She proposed this idea of using local schools. Is that something that's being considered, or at least having far more accessible places for the elderly to get their vaccinations?
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah, look, there is a number of ways people can get vaccinated right now. Of course, the GPs have been a mainstay. There are the state hubs, there are the mass vaccination hubs. In aged-care facilities we've been doing in reach directly into those homes. So, there are multiple paths right now. But over the course of the year as more and more, particularly of the mRNA vaccines come on, we will be seeking to build in more places where people can get vaccinated and to bring more convenience into the vaccination process.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
How long do you think the Sydney lockdown will go for?
JOHN FREWEN:
Look, that's a matter for the New South Wales authorities. They're managing the situation. They'll make those decisions.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Okay.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Does it have an impact on your job, how long that lasts?
JOHN FREWEN:
No, we're driving hard with the vaccines. We will look to areas where there is most pressing need. Right now, we're working closely with New South Wales and Sydney. But the vaccine rollout goes on across the country. It goes on in Sydney and we're working really hard to bring forward as many vaccines as we can, as quickly as we can. And again, I encourage all Australians to get themselves at least booked in, if not get vaccinated as quickly as they can.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Lieutenant General, when you see the pile-on after how long this vaccination process has taken, when you see the criticisms, the constant criticisms, how do you respond to that?
JOHN FREWEN:
Look, I have been brought in to work on the vaccine rollout through the rest of this year as we get more and more vaccines and the logistical challenge becomes even greater. But a lot of great work has been done in the, I think it was the 15 weeks or so when I first arrived, there had been more than 6 million doses of vaccines delivered. We're now up over 9 million doses. You know, we're building on the work that's been done already. This is a complicated process and we're working as hard as we can to do it as fast as we can.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Good on you. Thanks for your time today. Appreciate it.
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