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As her state hits her target of 6 million shots – about half the doses needed to fully immunize its adult population – NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was asked a number of questions about the interaction of this goal. with the objectives of the Doherty report agreed by the national cabinet.
The Prime Minister said the move to give the people of New South Wales additional freedoms at 6 million doses was advice she received from Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant “a few months ago” and did not did not replace the objective of the Doherty report.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian in today’s COVID-19 update. Credit:Kate geraghty
When asked if it was possible for this model to allow people in some richer and older areas of Sydney to free themselves much more than those in younger and less affluent areas of concern, the PM said that health and government “had these conversations now” about what that might mean.
Kerry Chant, NSW chief health officer, said the questions posed by the Doherty report, NSW’s high number of cases and vaccination rates involved “a number of concepts,” stressing that she wanted NSW’s immunization coverage is “strongly equity driven”.
“What we are trying to do is use vaccination as an additional tool to reduce the [effective reproduction number], so reduce the fact that everyone currently infects more than one person, ”she said.
Dr Chant said the spread of the Delta variant within households informed NSW’s focus on vaccination.
“We want to vaccinate people who work in critical industries where they have to operate, they have to keep working… this is the whole basis of our targeted vaccination strategy,” she said.
Dr Chant said Doherty’s modeling indicated that at 80% immunization coverage, the state would have “options and choices” but may have to live with some sort of COVID-19 restrictions for years to come.
“We may actually have worn indoor masks for years in some settings,” she said.
“We may find that you are only allowed to go to certain high risk locations if you are vaccinated and show proof of vaccination. The world is grappling with the way we coexist with COVID and the virus can throw curvy balls at us. “
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