EDITORIAL: Vaccine rollout single biggest peace time undertaking our nation

The national vaccine rollout is the single biggest peace time undertaking our nation has ever embarked upon.  More than 40 million jabs in more than 40 million arms from Darwin to Davenport, Brisbane to Broome and everywhere in between.

Yes, the rollout has had its setbacks, we have been frustrated by supply constraints, shifting medical advice but we are now matching world’s best rates.  We have seen more than 1 million doses delivered in the last 4 days alone, indeed on current rates we are vaccinating the equivalent of the entire population of South Australian weekly.

One in four eligible Australians is now double dose vaccinated and more than one in two have received their initial dose.  This is of course so important because in the face of the infectious Delta strain vaccination is our only pathway out.

Vaccination is voluntary and free and I strongly encourage all eligible Australians to get vaccinated not only because this is the only way to put damaging lockdowns behind us but because vaccination is the best way to protect you, your family and the wider community from serious illness and death.

Rest assured the Australian Government is working to increase the supply of vaccines, including accessing one million doses of the recently approved Moderna vaccine, growing to three million doses a month through the rest of this year and an additional 10 million doses of Pfizer coming in at one million doses per week at present, scaling up to two million doses per week from around October.

So far, working together, we have navigated this global pandemic better than almost any other country in the world, we have saved an estimated 30,000 lives and our economy despite obvious headwinds is the envy of the developed world.

There is however more to do, but I’m confident that well pull through this, we wont let it beat us and we wont let our frustrations get the better of us.

Inspired by the tenacity and can do spirit Australian athletes so magnificently displayed in Tokyo we will get this done, I know we will.

Tony Pasin MP

Member For Barker