Scott Morrison refuses to apologise over botched vaccine rollout, regrets not a race comment
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is under pressure to apologise for the slow arrival of COVID-19 jabs - with half the population suffering through lockdown for at least another week - as he tells radio show the not a race comment was taken out of context.
David WuDigital Reporter
July 22, 2021 - 7:20AM
Scott Morrison stopped short of apologising for the vaccine rollout yesterday during three radio interviews and tried to retract his not a race comment from earlier this year.
“When that was said by both [health department secretary] Professor Murphy and I at the time, what we were talking about was the regulation of vaccines and to ensuring that the vaccines that were being used in Australia had gone through their proper approvals authorities,” Mr Morrison told 5AA.
The trial data is not out yet. There are some trials being done in the UK, looking at AstraZeneca first dose and Pfizer or Moderna second dose.
It comes as the Australian government announced it had secured 25 million doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Ten million of those shots will be delivered this year.
The biotechnology company said it was already in discussions with Australia about potential local manufacturing of the vaccine.
Secretary of the Department of Health Brendan Murphy has suggested people could mix-and-match vaccines.(Sydney Morning Herald)
While not approved yet in Australia, it has generally been listed for use in adults of all ages in countries that have rolled it out.
The Federal Government has limited the COVID Pfizer vaccine to Australians aged under 50.
Speaking after National Cabinet today, Secretary of the Department of Health Brendan Murphy said the Pfizer vaccine is restricted to those under 50 , despite earlier advice that it was recommended for that age group. With a few exceptions, Pfizer is now restricted to those under 50, he said.
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Secretary of the Department of Health Brendan Murphy said AstraZeneca was recommended for people aged over 50.(Photo by Rohan Thomson/Getty Images) But people always have a choice and more Pfizer will be available later in the year. At this stage we will not be making Pfizer available to those 50 and over.
Victoria COVID-19: State opens three more mass vaccination centres 9news.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 9news.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
2021-04-21 01:05:47 GMT2021-04-21 09:05:47(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
CANBERRA, April 21 (Xinhua) Australia s coronavirus vaccine timetable remains uncertain, Secretary of the Department of Health Brendan Murphy has said.
Murphy recently told a parliamentary inquiry into Australia s response to the COVID-19 pandemic that he could not set a deadline for the completion of Australia s troubled vaccine rollout. At the moment we are not in a position to give an updated time on when vaccinations will be completed, but all first ministers want it completed as soon as possible, he said. There are still a number of uncertainties, even with a re-calibrated plan.