Health by Natalie O’Brien
Premium Content The whole global vaccination program for COVID-19 could be in jeopardy, unless the outbreak in India is controlled, a leading Australian epidemiologist has warned. Professor Mike Toole, from the Burnet Institute, said the world is facing a race between vaccines and variants. He is one of more than 700 doctors, health care groups, and charities who have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison calling on him to immediately waiver intellectual property rights on COVID-19 fighting tools such as vaccines and diagnostic equipment amid fears the India crisis cannot be controlled. Professor Mike Toole, epidemiologist with the Burnet Institute, said it is race against time to control COVID-19. Picture: Supplied
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April 29, 2021
Numbers are handed out to people waiting to receive the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at Ndirande Health Centre in Blantyre Malawi.
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Australia is among a group of rich countries accused of standing in the way of some of the world’s poorest, which are seeking to free up the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines at a meeting of World Trade Organisation member states on Friday.
Backed by more than 115 other countries, India and South Africa will appeal for patents to be temporarily waived on COVID vaccines and technology until global herd immunity is achieved.
Several states have either built or are attempting to build purpose-built quarantine facilities, to avoid the dangers posed by poorly ventilated hotel quarantine systems. The Northern Territory government-operated Howard Springs facility maintains open air separation between quarantine rooms and has been praised as the “gold standard” for infection control.
Queensland has long been pushing for a similar facility at the Wellcamp airport near Toowoomba, which would be privately owned by the wealthy Wagner family. The state government’s negotiations with the commonwealth on the Wellcamp proposal have stalled, prompting frustration at the state level.
“We will continue to see more lockdowns in our capital cities unless we give due consideration to regional quarantine facilities,” Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Tuesday.