CANBERRA, Australia (PA) – Australia has begun its 19-month COVID inoculation program a few days after its neighbor New Zealand, with both governments deciding that their pandemic experiences did not require rapid follow-up of vaccine launches. in many parts of the world.
Other countries in the Asia-Pacific region that have handled the pandemic relatively well, have either recently started vaccination or are in the process of doing so, including Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore.
Catherine Bennett, an epidemiologist at Deakin University in Australia, said countries that do not have a virus crisis benefit from taking their time and learning from countries that have taken emergency vaccination measures, such as the United States. .
“We now have data on pregnant women who are vaccinated. Natural accidents, such as incorrect dosing, happen in a real implementation “, said Bennett. “All of these things are real prospects.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison received the first dose of Pfizer vaccine on Sunday in a demonstration of confidence in the product. Australia gives priority to building public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines ahead of speed of delivery.
Health and border control workers, as well as residents and nursing home workers, began receiving the Pfizer vaccine on Monday in centers across the country. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine when it is available in a few weeks.
The vast majority of cases in Australia are infected travelers abroad who are detected during the hotel’s mandatory 14-day quarantine. Australia has recorded 909 coronavirus deaths.
New Zealand started vaccinations last week after receiving the first batch of Pfizer vaccine.
The nation of 5 million has successfully eliminated the spread of the virus, and the first people to be shot are border workers and their families. This is a different priority group than most countries, and the idea is to stop the spread of the virus from any travelers who are infected. After that, nurses and essential workers, together with vulnerable elderly people, will be vaccinated.
However, the launch of a vaccination program for the wider population of New Zealand will not start until the second half of the year, behind many other countries.
In Australia, some experts in ethics and infectious diseases at the Australian National University have accused the government of accumulating vaccines and argued that the government should send surplus supplies to countries in desperate need.
Elsewhere in Asia, Thailand, which has reported only 83 virus deaths, has not yet begun vaccinations. He will receive the first 200,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine on Wednesday. This is part of the Thai government’s plan, which has so far provided 2 million doses from Sinovac and 61 million doses from AstraZeneca.
The government has a policy of providing free vaccinations to all Thais and aims to inject half the population this year. The government said it hopes to start vaccinations a few days after the first batch of vaccines arrives.
Vietnam, which recorded 35 deaths, announced last week that it would receive 5 million doses of vaccine by the end of February and hopes to begin inoculations as early as March. Five million people – most front-line workers – will receive the first blows.
Cambodia, which has not yet reported any deaths from the virus, received its first shipment of 600,000 doses of vaccine from China on February 7, part of the 1 million doses donated by Beijing. The country began the vaccination program on February 10, starting with the sons of Prime Minister Hun Sen, government ministers and officials at a state hospital.
In Singapore, which reported 29 deaths from the virus, about 250,000 residents, including health workers and other front-line workers, have been vaccinated since last week, according to health officials. The goal is to get another million people to receive the first dose of the vaccine by early April.
Laos, which also reported no deaths, received 300,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine on February 8. A Health Ministry official said that 20% of the Lao population, or 1.6 million people, are expected to be vaccinated during the year.