Australian states squabble as NSW seeks COVID vaccine priority
Reuters
Published Jul 23, 2021 06:03
Updated Jul 23, 2021 15:35
By Swati Pandey and Colin Packham
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's largest state of New South Wales on Friday urged the federal government to divert vaccine doses to Sydney, the epicentre of a flaring COVID-19 outbreak, raising objections from other states desperate for protection from the virus.
The Sydney outbreak has ballooned to nearly 1,800 cases since mid-June, and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian branded the situation a "national emergency".".
"We know that in some places around Australia there are very few cases or zero cases," Berejiklian said in a televised news briefing on Friday.
"We need to get at least the first jab for as many people as we can in those affected communities as possible, and that's why we are asking for a refocus of the national vaccination strategy."
Only 15% of Australia's adult population is fully vaccinated, partly due to health advice regarding rare cases of blood clots among some recipients of the AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) vaccine.
Berejiklian's comments did not go down very well with other states who are unwilling to spare doses of the Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) vaccine.
"We need to be very careful when having a discussion about who we prioritise," Victoria Premier Dan Andrews said.
Victoria, which is in a lockdown until next Tuesday, reported 14 cases on Friday, mostly in Melbourne.
South Australia is also in lockdown and its state Premier Steven Marshall said: "I'm not wanting to send any of our vaccination doses anywhere else."
The issue was set to be discussed at a national cabinet meeting on Friday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he will go to the polls in the first half of next year, but his approval ratings fell to 51%, the lowest level in more than a year, according to a poll published this week.
"Whatever decision the government takes on vaccine allocations, it will be very difficult for Morrison to escape blame. The buck stops with him," said Haydon Manning, a political science professor at Flinders University in South Australia.
Get The App
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.