Weekly COVID news at a glance

1 Half of Australians aged 16 and over fully vaccinated

More than half of Australia’s population aged 16 and above has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. A record 347,796 doses were administered in the past 24 hours, fuelling the milestone as the nation edges towards 70 and 80 per cent coverage targets.

Almost three-quarters of people 16 and over have received at least a first dose. Chief Nursing Officer Alison McMillan urged anyone in the remaining 25 per cent to get vaccinated so Australia could return to normal life.

Vaccine rollout co-ordinator John Frewen said Australia would receive its full allocation of 11 million Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines in October despite concerns of a shortfall. Lieutenant General Frewen said Pfizer had confirmed delivery schedules across the month after a global distribution issue was solved. 

2 Only 9 percent refuse vaccination

Vaccine hesitancy is at a record low in a strong sign of support for the national plan to ease lockdowns. Only 9 per cent of Australians object to the jabs compared to 29 per cent in the early phase of the rollout, research by the Resolve Political Monitor shows. 

This includes 4 per cent of people saying they were “not very likely” to be vaccinated, and 5 per cent, “not at all likely”.These findings suggest the country could achieve a 90 per cent vaccine target across the adult population.

Australians also back plans to ease restrictions when the country hits an 80 per cent vaccination target, with 33 per cent of voters eager to do so earlier while 32 per cent want to wait for this benchmark.

3 Queensland premier’s ‘sarcastic’ comment?

Members of Australia’s Indian community say they are offended by Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk’s “sarcastic” comments questioning who would want to travel to India at this time.

When asked about the prospect of Australians being able to travel overseas by Christmas, the Queensland leader replied: “Where are you going to go?” “Are you gonna go to India?” she added. 

Shyam Das, the president of the Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland, says the community has not taken the comments well and are asking for an explanation from the premier. A spokesperson for Ms Palaszczuk said the premier was highlighting the problem of approving international travel anywhere, if the federal government didn’t identify which countries Australians could travel to.

4 Improve healthcare for multicultural communities

A national body to advise on health care for multicultural communities is being established following concerns over failings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA) says its proposed Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative is needed to improve access to and equity of health care. The federation’s CEO Mohommad Al-Khafaji said the COVID-19 response in Australia had highlighted inequalities and disparities experienced by multicultural communities.

Multicultural and interfaith leaders have been at the forefront of attempts to combat misinformation and encourage vaccination in their communities. FECCA is seeking feedback from healthcare providers, researchers and community groups to create a framework for its proposed health-advisory body.

5 Vaccinated international students to return to NSW

Hundreds of fully-vaccinated international students are set to return to New South Wales in the coming months after a state government pilot was signed off on by the Commonwealth.

The NSW government on Friday morning revealed details of the plan, which will see students return in a staggered fashion and quarantine for 14 days at a purpose-built facility in Redfern in Sydney.

The first phase of the pilot is anticipated to bring back 500 international students to NSW on chartered flights, paid for by the students, by the end of December.

It will also only involve student visa holders who have been fully vaccinated with the shots approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which at the moment includes Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna.

6 Some Australians missed heart checks

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced some 27,000 people to skip heart health checks, the Heart Foundation says, meaning nearly 350 heart attacks, strokes and heart-related deaths won’t be prevented.

The Heart Foundation on Sunday released modelling showing 345 heart attacks, strokes and heart disease deaths will occur over the next five years that could’ve been prevented with check-ups.

This is because 27,000 fewer checks took place over the 16 months from March 2020, when COVID-19 took hold, to July 2021. Heart Foundation chief medical adviser Garry Jennings says people have been hesitant to seek out routine tests during the pandemic and it could lead to a “wave of heart disease” over the next five years.