NSW has been asked to send its Pfizer doses to Victoria by the southern state’s peak medical body, which says the suppression of community transmission would benefit Australia as a whole.
Following Professor Cheng’s comments, a spokesperson for federal Health Minister Greg Hunt disputed that there was a Pfizer shortage in Victoria. The spokesperson said as of Thursday morning Victoria had approximately 160,000 Pfizer vaccines and approximately 160,000 AstraZeneca vaccines. A further delivery of 71,370 Pfizer vaccines will be delivered on Friday.
The Victorian president of the Australian Medical Association backed Professor Cheng, saying the Victorian and federal governments must do everything they can to increase the supply of Pfizer, including requesting doses be redirected from other states and overseas.“It would be an investment by other states if they sent supply in to help Victoria knuckle this one down,” Dr Roderick McRae said. “It’s of benefit to everyone in Australia that the current outbreak in Victoria is suppressed.
Stephen Duckett, health economist at the Grattan Institute and former secretary of the federal Department of Health, said Victoria should be given more vaccines by the federal government to capitalise on demand not previously seen in the rollout. Epidemiologist and public health consultant Dr Henning Liljeqvist said it would be a sensible strategy to ration the Pfizer vaccine and pull from other states to where it’s required to avoid a fragmented approach.
University of NSW epidemiologist Professor Mary-Louise McLaws said vaccines need to be immediately sent to Victoria and rolled out urgently among 20 to 39-year-olds.
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