Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. Will the minister update the House on how new vaccine approvals, the delivery of over 1.3 million vaccinations in the last week and over 200,000 vaccinations in the last 24 hours are helping to protect Australian lives and livelihoods?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Higgins for her support for the vaccination program. Indeed we travelled to the Prahran Town Hall to see a Commonwealth vaccination clinic in operation. They will have contributed in the last 24 hours to the almost 240,000 vaccines that were administered, 34,000 up on this time last week, the highest first day of the week that we've had. It represents in one day the population of Ballarat and Bendigo combined.

In the last week, we've seen an increase since we talked yesterday of 1.363 million, as the Prime Minister said, approximately the population of Adelaide—subject to the census tonight, of course! But the fact that in one week we've been able to have the population of Adelaide vaccinated, in one day, the population of Ballarat and Bendigo combined indicates that Australians are coming forward to be vaccinated and are taking their responsibility on themselves to protect themselves, to protect others, and that that partnership with the Australian people is strong and delivering vaccinations for Australians. Indeed, we're at almost 14 million vaccinations right across the nation at this point in time. That includes over nine million first vaccinations and now 4¾ million second vaccinations. These things are saving lives and protecting lives. They're combining with all the other things that Australians have done to protect, through borders, testing, tracing, distancing and vaccination against the spread of COVID-19.

We've seen again over 600,000 cases worldwide, again, over 8,000 lives lost. It is a global pandemic, the likes of which we have not seen for a hundred years. So against that background, I'm pleased that only yesterday the Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved another vaccine for Australia, the Moderna vaccine. There are 10 million doses of the Moderna vaccine expected over the balance of this year and 15 million doses as potential boosters next year. That will complement the AstraZeneca vaccine and it will complement the Pfizer vaccine. All of these things will come together to ensure that each Australian, every Australian, has the opportunity to be vaccinated this year. When we do that, each person is making a statement and an action to support their own health and they're making a contribution to the rest of the nation. We thank them for that and we honour them for that. We urge all Australians to come forward, to be vaccinated, to protect their lives and to protect the lives of all Australians.