KARL STEFANOVIC:
Well, Australia is closing in on another vaccine milestone, with close to 10 million booster shots administered across the country and 52 million doses overall. Lieutenant General John Frewen heads the COVID Vaccination Taskforce, as we know, and he joins us now, live from Canberra. Lieutenant General good to have your company this morning. We're just about at that 10 million dollar [sic] booster jab. Are we running a little behind here, or are you happy?
JOHN FREWEN:
No, no. Well, in fact, we crossed the 10 million mark yesterday, Karl. We're now at 10.2 million which is really good. And that's 58.7 of the 17 million eligible people at the moment. So we think boosters are going along really well. You know, another 144,000 people came forward yesterday, so continue to encourage people across Australia to keep doing that.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Look, anecdotally I think with this one, the side effects on the booster compared to, say, the second shots- there seem to be a lot more of those reports around. Is that consistent with what you've heard?
JOHN FREWEN:
Look, it's a really mixed bag, you know, people's reactions, as you know. I mean I- you can go into a clinic with half a dozen people and some will have, you know, quite significant effects and others won't have any effects at all. So it really is hard to predict. I think on balance, people are getting the shots and it's well manageable. So, people are pretty well drilled now. If they've had the primary course, so- I do, again, just encourage people to get forward to grab those boosters.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
A lot of parents are a tough convince on vaccinating their kids. How is that tracking across the country?
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah, look, so the kids, now we are up to 48.7 per cent of kids - that's more than a million kids have had boosters, which is great. That's- we're ahead of Germany, Israel, the US, countries like that on the kids' rollout. But again, we've got the vaccines available; there's, you know, more than 6000 places around the country where kids can get vaccinated. So for those parents who still are trying to get around to it, I please encourage them to get it done as quickly as they can.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Novavax started rolling out yesterday as well, a week ahead of schedule. What are you hoping for with that vaccine exactly?
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah, so look, more than 3000 clinics have expressed an interest in getting it. Over 2000 have already ordered it, we've started the deliveries, as you indicate. We've had the first doses starting to roll out, and across the next two weeks Novavax will be more broadly available. It's a protein-based vaccine, so I will not wade too far into the medical side of things. But it is- it's a slightly different vaccine in the way it works to other vaccines, which is attractive to some people. So for those people who have been waiting now, Novavax is, sort of, on its way. And again, if you haven't had your primary course and you've been waiting for that protein-based vaccines, you'll be able to do it real soon.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Can I ask you about another matter, to get your- to ask you for a second to put your other hat on. I wonder how you're viewing the situation, say, for example, in Ukraine at the moment with Russia. You'd be right across it, I'm sure. How concerned are you about that?
JOHN FREWEN:
Karl, I keep one eye on these matters, but I am wholly focused on vaccine rollouts. So, you know, these are very, sort of, serious matters and I hope they get resolved diplomatically.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Ok. Well said. Very diplomatic. Thank you mate, appreciate it.
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