How will Australia's vaccine rollout work?

A woman receives her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (AAP)

A woman receives her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (AAP) Source: AAP

In a few weeks' time, Australia will begin vaccinating some of its most vulnerable populations against COVID-19. But it is expected to take many more months to vaccinate enough people to achieve an effective level of protection against coronavirus in Australia.


The Australian Government says it hopes to start the mass vaccination program against coronavirus around mid to late-February

But, getting vaccinated won't be as simple as showing up to the doctor and getting a shot.

The vaccine rollout will happen in five priority stages.

The first group will be Australia's quarantine and border workers, aged and disability care staff and residents, plus priority frontline healthcare workers.

Next up will be people over the age of 70, other healthcare workers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 55, younger adults with underlying medical conditions or disabilities, and critical, high-risk workers like emergency services.

The third group will include adults aged 50 to 69, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, and other critical, high-risk workers.

Stage four will be the largest group - the remainder of Australia’s adult population.

The final group will be children under the age of 18, although they will only be inoculated if medical advice suggests it's warranted.

At the Huntingdon Gardens aged care home in Sydney’s south, staff and residents are excited to be among the first Australians to receive the jab.

Director Feng Chen says he is relieved that his staff and residents will be able to protect themselves with a vaccine soon.

"Yes, I am quite excited. 2020 was a difficult year, especially for aged care, where all our staff and the residents did what we can. We did everything, we tried to stop the virus coming in, but with the situation with the other countries, it's really bad. So, if we can have the vaccine, it would be a big help. To protect all the staff and protect our residents."

To hear the full audio, please click on the audio player above. 

People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 meters away from others. Find out what restrictions are in place for your state or territory.

Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.

SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments. News and information is available in 63 languages  at  https://www.sbs.com.au/language/coronavirus

Listen to SBS Punjabi Monday to Friday at 9 pm. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.  


Share
Follow SBS Punjabi

Download our apps
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Punjabi-speaking Australians.
Understand the quirky parts of Aussie life.
Get the latest with our exclusive in-language podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
Punjabi News

Punjabi News

Watch in onDemand
How will Australia's vaccine rollout work? | SBS Punjabi