Do not wait for Pfizer New data shows just 1 per cent of Delta cases fully vaccinated

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has warned Australians should not wait to be vaccinated with the Pfizer jab, as new data shows just 1 per cent of people who caught COVID in Sydney’s Delta outbreak were fully vaccinated.

Mr Hunt’s warning came a day after the federal and state governments reached an in-principle agreement on a road map out of the pandemic.

People queue down Ninth Street in Campsie to get tested.Credit:Jessica Hromas

They agreed 70 per cent of the adult population must be vaccinated before they begin easing restrictions for people who have had the jab and cautiously re-opening borders. Once 80 per cent of Australian adults are vaccinated wide-scale lockdowns would be all but abolished.

South-east Queensland entered a snap three-day lockdown on Saturday after seven new community cases were recorded, throwing the NRL and AFL weekend games into disarray.

Sydney recorded 201 new cases, including 138 people under the age of 40 who were only recently approved to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine and who cannot get Pfizer yet.

The critical role that vaccines will play in propelling Australia out of the pandemic is underscored by new data from the federal Health Department that shows just one per cent of the 2702 people who have caught COVID-19 in Sydney’s Delta outbreak were fully vaccinated. Of the 15 people who were fully vaccinated but still caught COVID, none needed hospitalisation and none died.

Just 5 per cent of cases, or 141 people, caught COVID after having one jab, with the partially vaccinated accounting for 6 per cent of hospital cases, 4 per cent of ICU cases and 8 per cent of deaths.

A total of 2164 people, or 80 per cent of cases, were among the unvaccinated who also made up 87 per cent of hospital admissions, 91 per cent of ICU patients and 85 per cent of deaths.

Mr Hunt said that the health data showed that the AstraZeneca vaccine - which is widely available but which some Australians have resisted taking because of changing health advice about the risk of blood clots that can lead to death - is equally effective as Pfizer against the virus. “Either vaccine can protect your life or protect the life of your loved ones.”

He said the data highlighted just how effective vaccines were at saving lives, reducing symptomatic infections and transmission.

Health Minister Greg Hunt.Credit:Scott McNaughton

“It is a reality check for those people who have been dangerously and irresponsibly attacking the effectiveness of vaccines.

“This is a significant sample of over 2700 cases and it is the strongest Australian demonstration yet of the absolutely life-saving role of vaccination.”

When asked about over 60s who are waiting for the Pfizer rather than having the AstraZeneca vaccine, Mr Hunt said “our message is do not wait. Sadly un-vaccinated people have lost their lives in the current outbreak; people who have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca have had their lives saved”.

On Saturday, Australia passed 40 per cent of the population aged over 16 having had at least one jab, while nearly 19 per cent of the population has had both.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned on Saturday that unless Australia reached the 70 per cent vaccination target, “the virus wins and lockdowns are absolutely necessary”. But he was optimistic that Australia could reach the 70 per cent and then 80 per cent targets to open up.

“I wish the number was 50 [per cent vaccinated]. I wish the number was less, but it’s not. And I can’t tell people that it’s a different number. Seventy [per cent vaccinated], based on the science, we know gives us that more than a fighting chance to ensure we stay ahead of it. And then when you get to 80 [per cent vaccinated] ... I’m more optimistic.”

At the lengthy national cabinet meeting on Friday, according to a source familiar with the proceedings who asked not to be named, a significant portion of the discussion focused on when vaccination of children, who at this stage are not part of the roll out, should begin. The view was that providing COVID vaccinations at schools, before the school year ends, would be the most practical approach.

Epidemiologists and health experts cautiously welcomed the COVID road map, while warning that Australia will need to reach higher vaccination rates to achieve herd immunity than the targets set.

Melbourne University epidemiologist Tony Blakely, writing for The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age, said 90 per cent vaccine coverage â€" including children â€" would be needed. He added that the deal was “pretty good” in that it set targets Australia could aspire to, with carrots such as freedom from lockdowns when targets were reached.

Grattan Institute’s Health program director Stephen Duckett said, however, that a vaccination target of 70 per cent before entering phase two was actually only about 56 per cent of the population because under 16s were excluded and that was too low.

“It’s a very risky strategy, the targets they have set are too low even if they are assuming that the virus is not very transmissible.” Last week, the Institute released modelling that showed 80 per cent of the entire population needed to be vaccinated before restrictions could be eased significantly.

clarification

An earlier version of this story had not specified that Mr Hunt was talking about over 60s when urging people not to wait for the Pfizer vaccine.

James Massola is political correspondent for the Sun-Herald & Sunday Age. He won the Kennedy award for Outstanding Foreign Correspondent while posted in Jakarta and wrote The Great Cave Rescue. He was previously chief political correspondent.

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