Melbourne: On Saturday, Australia reached a full vaccination rate of 80% of persons aged 16 and over, a “magnificent milestone” on the road to becoming one of the world’s most vaccinated countries against COVID-19, according to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The country of 25 million people, which was once a champion of a COVID-zero policy to manage the pandemic, has now turned to living with the virus through widespread vaccines, as the Delta form has proven too contagious to suppress. Morrison said in a video post on Facebook, “Another magnificent milestone, Australia. That’s four out of five, how good is that? This has been a true Australian national effort.”
While vaccinations are still optional at the federal level, several occupations and employees in Australia’s states and territory have made them mandatory. Many activities, like dining out or attending concerts, are off-limits to those who have not been vaccinated. On Saturday, the country recorded 1,558 illnesses and 10 deaths, with Victoria accounting for the majority of the cases.
The world’s largest vaccination programme is ongoing. In 184 countries, more than 7.2 billion doses have been provided. The most recent figure was around 31.4 million doses each day. So far, 428 million doses have been administered in the United States. Over the last week, an average of 1.29 million doses per day were provided.