Thousands of cases will spike if international borders reopen

Australians have been warned to prepare for rising coronavirus case numbers of up to 1000 a week when international borders open.

The news comes as authorities investigate the death of a 48-year-old woman in NSW who reportedly received a COVID vaccination before developing blood clots.

The warning added to delays in Australia’s vaccine rollout and made airlines’ preparation for an October restart for overseas travel look optimistic.

The federal government’s dumped timetable means Australia’s border is unlikely to reopen until 2022. Senior government minister Simon Birmingham said experts were still looking at how reopening could work in line with the vaccine rollout.

There is no clear plan to open borders let alone a group established to realise it. It’s vital everyone respect medical advice. Mr Morrison said states and territories would need to get on the same page about acceptable virus levels when travel restarts.

/  Prime Minister Scott Morrison

He continues to defend the vaccine rollout, rejecting comparisons with less developed nations at more advanced stages. While mass vaccination centres are likely to administer the Pfizer and Novavax jabs later in the year, the prime minister rejected using major hubs to give doses of AstraZeneca to over-50s.

Despite doctors raising concerns about vaccine supply, Mr Morrison is adamant those issues have been largely solved.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese continues to criticise the government for its slow vaccine rollout, saying Australians stranded overseas should be home by now.

More than 1.3 million people have been vaccinated since the program started in February, with the government missing its own targets.

Mr Morrison said states and territories would need to get on the same page about acceptable virus levels when travel restarts. It comes after he revealed his “first goal” in reopening international borders would be allowing vaccinated Australians to go overseas “for important purposes”, such as work, medical reasons or funerals.

/  Labor leader Anthony Albanese

“ The first goal I think is to enable Australians who are vaccinated to be able to move and travel, particularly for important purposes. And secondly, for Australian residents and citizens from overseas who have been properly vaccinated, they will be able to come back in that way ”

Mr Morrison told the Community Vaccine Forum at the Stirling Community Centre in Perth on Thursday.