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Australia has “4 million reasons to be hopeful today” according to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who today announced a swap deal with the UK which will see 4 million extra doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arrive this month.
The deal will see Australia double the number of Pfizer doses available during September, with the jabs to be distributed across states and territories on a per capita basis.
It comes just a few days after the Federal Government secured an early procurement of 500,000 Pfizer doses through a swap deal with Singapore, building on an extra million vaccines from Poland acquired earlier in August.
“From Downing Street to Down Under we’re doubling down on what the Pfizer doses are here in Australia this month,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
“This will enable us to bring forward significantly the opportunity for Australia to open up again under the national plan.
“The bringing forward of these doses, I think, should be a great cause for hope right around the country.”
The extra doses will build on Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout which has so far seen 20.3 million doses delivered, of which more than 10 million have been AstraZeneca jabs.
Australia is also now at the point where 80 per cent of over 50s have had their first dose.
“Let’s keep this going Australia, because at these rates we are really going to be able to hit the marks that we all want to hit in the weeks and months ahead,” Morrison said.
“These 4 million doses of hope today I think will only give us further encouragement.”
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 situation is worsening in New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.
NSW today reported 1,431 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths as the State’s Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned case numbers are going to continue to increase before a peak.
"As I have said previously, the best health advice I have is that we anticipate a peak in cases in the next fortnight,” Berejiklian said.
In Victoria, 208 locally acquired cases were reported today and one death. Of the 208, 96 cases were linked to known outbreaks.
The ACT today recorded 18 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, of which 15 were in the community while infectious.
Updated at 12.21pm AEST on 3 September 2021.
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