Ruqayyah Snyder
Australia's COVID-19 vaccination program has been one of the biggest logistical exercises in the country's history. While Australia entered 2022 with almost 92% of the population aged over 16 double vaccinated, the national rollout has faced challenges, including issues with vaccine procurement, advice changes regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine, timeline revisions, hold-ups for priority groups, and the early rollout of booster shots. Australia's federal government releases weekly data for vaccination rates by statistical area, and there are also vaccine trackers that provide information on the total number of people vaccinated and the percentage of the population that is fully vaccinated.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of the population aged over 16 double vaccinated | 92% |
| Percentage of the population fully vaccinated | Not available |
| Percentage of the population with a single dose | Not available |
| Vaccination rate in the past 30 days | Not available |
| Percentage increase in vaccination rates by state and territory | Not available |
| National Vaccination Rates for Non-Indigenous Peoples | Not available |
| National Vaccination Rates for Indigenous Peoples | Not available |
| Vaccination rates for people with disabilities | 8.2% |
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What You'll Learn
Percentage of fully vaccinated people
Australia's COVID-19 vaccination program has been one of the biggest logistical exercises in the country's history, with the federal government aiming to vaccinate over 20 million people. While Australia entered 2022 with nearly 92% of its population aged 16 and above double vaccinated, the rollout has faced several challenges. These include difficulties in procuring vaccines, changing guidelines for the AstraZeneca vaccine, timeline revisions, and delays for priority groups.
The Australian government releases weekly data on vaccination rates by statistical area (SA4) regions, allowing for comparisons between states and territories. This data helps identify areas with the largest weekly percentage increases in vaccinations. Additionally, the government provides an interactive tool that considers factors such as age, occupation, and health conditions to determine an individual's phase in the vaccine rollout.
Indigenous vaccination rates in Australia have been a particular area of focus. While these rates have risen rapidly, there remains a significant gap between First Nations people and overall vaccination rates in most states and territories. The lower coverage among Indigenous Australians may be due to barriers to access rather than high vaccine hesitancy, underscoring the need for strategies to improve uptake and ensure easy access for these communities.
Australia's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has been critical in managing the pandemic. The success of the program relies on high vaccination rates and acceptance, especially among priority groups, to protect those at higher risk of severe disease or death from COVID-19. As of November 2021, Australia was aiming to achieve 70% and 80% double-dose vaccination targets for its states and territories.
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Vaccine rollout by state
Australia's COVID-19 vaccination program began with the Pfizer vaccine. The first phase of the rollout included priority recipients such as quarantine hotel workers, airport staff, frontline healthcare workers, aged and disability care staff, and their residents. Seniors over 70, indigenous people over 55, younger cohorts with underlying medical conditions, and other emergency service workers were next in line.
The CSL facility in Melbourne, which manufactures the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, aimed to deliver one million doses a week by the end of March. South Australia received its first batch of the Pfizer vaccine, with the first 4,000 doses administered to frontline health workers. Queensland's first shipment of 10,000 vials arrived at Brisbane airport, with the goal of vaccinating 1,000 people in the first week and 125,000 across the state in six weeks.
The federal government publishes weekly vaccination rates by statistical area, and Guardian Australia has been tracking Indigenous vaccination statistics since August 2021. While Indigenous vaccination rates have risen rapidly, there remains a gap between First Nations people and overall vaccination rates in most states and territories.
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Australia is not dependent on a state of emergency being announced. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) confirmed that the approval of vaccines was unrelated to any formal emergency declaration.
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Indigenous vaccination rates
According to a 2019 study, adult Indigenous Australians' vaccination coverage for the flu and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is "unacceptably low". Coverage for these vaccines improved only marginally from 2004-05 to 2012-13, increasing from 23% to 29%. Lead author Fleur Webster called for urgent action to address this issue, stating that more frequent surveying is required to facilitate close monitoring and help targeted program delivery efforts.
In 2021, the federal minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, defended the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, expressing satisfaction with vaccination rates among Indigenous Australians. However, he acknowledged that vaccine hesitancy posed a challenge, and concerns were raised about the lack of transparency regarding Indigenous vaccination figures. Data released by the federal Department of Health revealed that Western Australian regions had the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates for Indigenous people, with several areas in Queensland also lagging. Victoria led the nation in COVID-19 vaccination rates for Indigenous people.
While Indigenous COVID-19 vaccination rates have risen rapidly, a significant gap persists between First Nations people and overall vaccination rates in most states and territories. This disparity has prompted concerns about plans to ease restrictions once vaccination targets are reached.
In terms of HPV vaccination, a 2015 study found that while dose 1 coverage exceeded 80% for all Indigenous status/jurisdiction/sex groups, dose 3 coverage was notably lower for Indigenous than non-Indigenous 12-year-olds in all jurisdictions except for girls in NSW. The study concluded that strategies are needed to improve HPV vaccine course completion rates for Indigenous adolescents to reduce the higher burden of cervical cancer in this population.
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Vaccine hesitancy
Australia has been warned that it will not achieve herd immunity unless it addresses vaccine hesitancy. While health officials are confident in the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine, they are concerned that reports of blood clotting will not curb vaccine hesitancy rates.
A survey in mid-March 2021 found that 13% of Australians said they would not get any Covid-19 vaccine, and 23% were unsure. This means that at that time, 36% of Australians were hesitant about getting vaccinated. While this figure may have changed, there is no reason to believe it has decreased.
The Melbourne Institute's vaccine hesitancy tracker found that Queensland was the most vaccine-hesitant state, with 14.2% of people hesitant, followed by Western Australia at 12.2%, South Australia at 11.8%, and Victoria at 7.3%. Nationally, 6.1% of Australians are not willing to get one of the available Covid-19 vaccines.
According to an associate professor in public health, surveys may not accurately reflect the extent of vaccine hesitancy, as they do not capture the difference between responding to a survey and actually getting vaccinated. He differentiated between anti-vaxxers, who make up about 1.5% of the hesitant population and have unchangeable views, and the larger group of vaccine-hesitant Australians.
To address vaccine hesitancy, Australia needs to engage and persuade hesitant residents, especially since the AstraZeneca vaccine, on which the country is heavily reliant, has a higher relative risk profile than other vaccines. A study in New South Wales aimed to identify contributing factors leading to vaccine hesitancy in the Black Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) community.
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Vaccine availability
Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been one of the biggest logistical exercises in the country's history, aiming to deliver vaccines to over 20 million people. The federal government releases weekly data on vaccination rates, and there are various tools and trackers available to the public to monitor the rollout's progress.
The rollout has not been without its challenges. Initially, the federal government struggled to procure vaccines, and there were changes to the advice surrounding the AstraZeneca vaccine. There have also been multiple timeline revisions and hold-ups for priority groups.
Despite these challenges, Australia entered 2022 with almost 92% of the population aged over 16 double vaccinated. However, it is important to note that there are disparities in vaccination rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, with a large gap between First Nations people and overall vaccination rates in almost every state and territory.
To address these disparities, efforts have been made to improve access to vaccines for Indigenous Australians, and the government has an interactive tool that considers various factors to determine an individual's phase in the vaccine rollout.
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Frequently asked questions
As of March 2022, about 92% of Australians over 16 years old have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Australia is behind some countries in terms of doses administered per 100 people. However, it is important to note that not all countries publish data on fully vaccinated people, so it is difficult to make a direct comparison.
While Indigenous COVID vaccination rates have risen rapidly, there remains a large gap between First Nations people and overall vaccination rates in almost every state and territory.
The timing of when someone will receive the vaccine depends on who they are, how old they are, and what they do for work. The Australian government has an interactive tool that takes into account these factors to determine which phase of the vaccine rollout someone will be in.
Australia has faced several challenges, including initial struggles to procure vaccines, changes in advice around the AstraZeneca vaccine, timeline revisions, hold-ups for priority groups, and the early rollout of booster shots.
