So dire is the state of the vaccination rollout that the government’s targets and schedule now consist entirely of start dates for things, not end dates.
Invited by journalist Laura Tingle last night to explain why the government was unable to set a target for its vaccine rollout, Health Minister Greg Hunt, whose department has presided over the rollout, insisted that the government had targets and was meeting them.
“We set the target of commencing Pfizer for the 1as in late February and met that. We set the target of commencing AstraZeneca for 1as in early March and met that and we just recently set the target of commencing the Australian-made CSL production in late March, and met that.”
So that’s the key metric by which the government now thinks it should be judged on its rollout: when it gets the first jab into an arm. The days of bold targets of four million vaccinations by the end of March, or even half that, are in the rear view mirror. Along with the idea that the rollout will be finished by this time next year.
While a generalised sense that the rollout has been bungled by the government will be politically damaging, impacts in specific sectors of community concern are likely to represent the sharp end of the political hurt the government will suffer.
One emerging sector in that regard is the residential disability sector.
Clients and workers in that sector are classified as part of Phase 1a and should be being vaccinated now. Major providers have already emerged to say that they have yet to hear from the government. The CEO of Aruma complained yesterday that none of his clients had yet been vaccinated.
When questioned about that, chief medical officer Paul Kelly sought to fob it off, saying that they would be vaccinated “by the middle of the year”.
“We’re very happy to talk with Aruma,” Kelly insisted, leaving open the question of why vaccinations had yet to begin when Greg Hunt was claiming that the aged care rollout was nearly finished. “We’ve got private contractors that are, you know, very reputable companies that are doing that work.”
One issue is that the logistics of rolling out to residential disability services are far more complex than to the aged care sector. Residential services are usually delivered in small locations with a small number of residents.
One NSW-based group, Civic, has around 260 clients in 50 locations. Organising access to all sites, and ensuring all staff who work in shifts in those homes can be available for vaccination, is far more challenging than vaccinating residents in a large aged care residence that might have around 75 beds on average and a large complement of staff. As most residential disability clients are on medication, they also need GP consultations to ensure they can safely have the vaccine.
A spokesperson for Civic told Crikey that the Department of Health had been in contact with them in late January to start preparations for the rollout and there had been a webinar in early March about the process that enabled them to undertake the necessary preparations, such as GP visits.
Health had prepared excellent resources for the sector, she said, including a checklist for facilities and a consent form that addressed the needs of people with intellectual disabilities — all a contrast with the dearth of information last year during the pandemic. However, since then Civic had had no contact to initiate the vaccination process itself, and none of its clients had yet been vaccinated.
That point appears to have coincided with the handover of the process from the Department of Health to the “very reputable contractors” Kelly was referring to.
Unlike the sourcing of vaccines, which has been disastrous, the rollout to residential disability providers appears to have been planned well and with consultation with the sector. But so far, the implementation has been found wanting. And it may become Exhibit A of the human impacts of a bungled rollout.
Since health care delivery is a state responsibility, wouldn’t it be much more effective for the feds to just get out of the way? When was the last time that any program run out of Canberra actually worked?
You mean any program run out of Canberra by the Smirky mob?
Morrison and Hunt, the Lone Ranger and the faithful sidekick Tonto of the pandemic world, are truly living up to the famed “kemosabe” bromance in their pressers – “kemosabe” is said to mean “idiot” in Apache.
As THE plan now is to have no plan, please retire the duo from the airwaves for the Nation’s mental health. There are already signs of an epidemic of psychotic episodes requiring medication in the population at large as the long running series fades into washed out grey, hopefully to go black very soon.
What absolute marxist politics of envy is this rubbish? “freezing of assets and bank accounts of antivaxxers” Crikey commenters have reached a disgraceful new low. Is this person insane or this the new norm from Cky.? I am cancelling my subscription immediately. And with all the current vaccine side effects and deaths ststistics now coming to the surface it shows that Cky commenters and journalists got it wrong and that lone commenter Craig Nesbit was right all along. He warned you. You did n’t listen. What a fkn joke you all are. Good riddance.
Goodbye…
I have to admit Craig Nesbitt was right.
How can you say that? You were seduced by the articles from Keane, Schwarrrrrrb and Kishorn. Hang your heads in shame. ..followed by the back-up from the army of commenters although one single person with multiple accounts. You were deceived, conned and deluded by their “magic” and completely refused the truth. In the future, if you want to know something, just ask.
What does the ‘q’ in your moniker represent?
Not QAnon whose cult followers do the bidding of or muddy the water for climate/Covid science denialist GOP and LNP politicians, and also making the latter appear grounded and normal?
Panic talk will get you nowhere. I would n’t know qanon if I fell over it. But I know someone who’s intense dislike and unhinged view of politics has completely blinded him to the truth. Is there a vaccine for that??????????????????????????????????????. unfortunately not.
If you weren’t spraying spittle all over your keyboard as you type, the keys would be less likely to stick.
Big Grin. But at least you got something right. Who put the kybosh on Craig Nesbitt? Who was it that orchestrated his assassination? Which individual gave the word to ban him?Do I have a habit of knowing the answer to the question before I ask it?
As I noted above, you have the same verbal tics as your alter ego.
I doubt that you would could answer to first of the basic compis mentis test, “what day & date is it?”.
Thats really funny, not haha funny, but more like peculiar funny…..like you just made a confession of some sort. I have no idea what that might be.
But you are Craig Nesbitt.
Are you one of these Cky comments experts too? So it’s out there now. These useless vaccines can’t fix anything and never could. So was covid ever an issue to begin with? Craig Nesbitt tells me he has been banned from posting on Cky. So you banned ( censored ) the only truthful commentor who presented the facts from his personal research and investigation into covid and vaccines and you BANNED him from speaking. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury – I rest my case.
Yes, of course. But it’s too late to cover your fkn sorry arse now. You let political point scoring stand in the way of the truth. I tried to tell you. Ever since Schwarrrrrb took over Private Media, Cky has gone to sh-t. The vaccine king, along with multiple account commenters who were sucked in by him were blinded to their marxist philosophy. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story? eh? eh? are you fkn listenin?. What about the editorialists who directed Perret, Schultz and Wilkins? Don’t waste their talent on the non existent . It’s a travesty. You can hang you head too
Be sure to give Craig a big hug when you return to your shared room.
That’s actually pretty funny. But make sure you give a big hug to the rest of your fictitious multiple account holders and give my love to Beerhard Keane and Schwab the Vaxxer better known as Vlad the Impaler. The blood clot cocktails are on the house.
As the Hitch noted – “that which is asserted without evidence may be summarily dismissed”.
To date there have been in excess of 15 commenters here accused of having multiple accounts.
An expensive exercise for anyone but to what end – to chivvy a nutcase?
If this were true then this flaccid organ would not need to keep lowering the subscription price – every crazy with a keyboard can grab 3 weeks for free and fill the threads with garbage.
As you are doing.
The only garbage here has been your fallacious views on the need and promotion of the vaccine program. You have been proven wrong. Laid bare and in full view. The people love you. Their is no correspondence from you or other BS comments that will ever suffice you being just plain wrong.
Craig Nesbitt posting two months ago:
“This is so funny.”
Craig Nesbitt posting three months ago:
“Haha that is really funny.”
And then of course there was that night when Nesbitt posted a fake police report threatening another poster and, minutes later, like magic, lqtino started posting.
He posted the “satirical” report to save your bacon, not his. But you would be too dumb to realize that. And even then it was after the “death” threat he received from another one of your lunatic bogus accounts “Intentionally Blank”…very apt name and explains his rediculous support for vaccines. What a joke!
Just another one of those odd cosmic co incidents – let’s see if it is still here when the free 3 weeks expire.
Odd how he knows Nesbitt’s innermost thoughts (sic!) and why he is such a zero.
Don’t you mean padded cell?
He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass …
Are you one of these Cky comments experts too? So it’s out there now. These useless vaccines can’t fix anything and never could. So was covid ever an issue to begin with? Craig Nesbitt tells me he has been banned from posting on Cky. So you banned ( censored ) the only truthful commentor who presented the facts from his personal research and investigation into covid and vaccines and you BANNED him from speaking. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury – I rest my case.
Are you one of these Cky comments experts too? So it’s out there now. These useless vaccines can’t fix anything and never could. So was covid ever an issue to begin with? Craig Nesbitt tells me he has been banned from posting on Cky. So you banned ( censored ) the only truthful commentor who presented the facts from his personal research and investigation into covid and vaccines and you BANNED him from speaking. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury – I rest my case.
I agree with Bernard Keane and Adam Schwab’s articles regarding incentives
for people to vaccinate. Discount flights, cheaper loans and vaccine
passports have been mentioned. While these offer incentives perhaps
disincentives could be applied as we progress towards eradicating covid
through vaccine programs that the govt has been long failing with.
The tempoary freezing of assets and bank accounts for antivaxxers and
perhaps the necessity for short term education programs on the importance
of group awareness instead of individual and personal awareness be softly
introduced.
The quicker we face these issues the quicker we can get the economy
back on track and provide a better future for all Australians.
I don’t suffer (anti-vaxxer) fools gladly, or even at all, but I reckon it would be better to to give those grifting contractors a disincentive to fail.
How do you feel now?.. Audioio. In total disgrace? So you should be.
Too stupid to notice I was disagreeing with Penny’s calls for sanctions?
I’ll take Marilyn and Craig’s idiotic claims of “gene therapy” over your foul abuse any time. At least they conduct themselves with a modicum of restraint.
See the up votes? What mentality do people like this possess who vote “up” for rubbish like this? This is the deranged and unhinged mentality of most of the commenters here on Cky…and I am so sad to say, some of the journalists.
But since you can’t tell you voted and who didn’t, and can only go by their words, you lash randomly. Reading comprehension is evidently not your strength.
The further one sinks on the rant scale, the greater the difficulty in attempting to, simultaneously, think & breathe.
Rather than a combination of facile marketing, and straight up coercion, how about somebody in this freakin’ political/media bubble set themselves the task of informing people.
What you call ‘awareness’, Penny, I call a con.
For starters, people need to consult the form guide.
Where is the AZ roll out most advanced? The UK perhaps?
What’s the other main vaccine being used in the UK? Why, Pfizer, of course!
Why not ‘examine’ the data being produced by the UK?
Is there any? You bet there is – weekly!
You might like to visit here; dailyexposedotco.uk
Look for the weekly published Apr 3, which is headed;
“Frightening increase in number of Strokes occurring due to AstraZeneca Vaccine in the latest Government / MHRA report”
Then the next weekly, on April 9 i.e. last week, headed;
“DISTURBING! – UK Government release 10th report on Adverse Reactions to Covid Vaccines
From that 10th report;
“……Our earliest analysis of the data which we brought you back at the beginning of February showed that there had been 49,472 adverse reactions to the Pfizer vaccine, and 21,032 adverse reactions to the Oxford vaccine up to the 24th January 2021, with a rate of 1 in every 333 people receiving the jab suffering a serious adverse reaction.
Well we can confirm that in the space of nine weeks the number of reported adverse reactions to the Pfizer vaccine has increased to 124,371 as of the 28th March. The Oxford jab has fared much worse though with an astounding increase of 419,839 reported adverse reactions as of the 29th March, now standing at a total of 440,871……”
P.S. Those multiplying ‘adverse reactions’ are about a lot more than a ‘rare blood clotting condition’.
Yes, of course. But it’s too late to cover your fkn sorry arse now. You let political point scoring stand in the way of the truth. I tried to tell you. Ever since Schwarrrrrb took over Private Media, Cky has gone to sh-t. The vaccine king, along with multiple account commenters who were sucked in by him were blinded to their marxist philosophy. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story? eh? eh? are you fkn listenin?. What about the editorialists who directed Perret, Schultz and Wilkins? Don’t waste their talent on the non existent . It’s a travesty. You can hang you head too.
Odd how you write exactly as did the, allegedly, now banned Nesbitt.
Same verbal tics, wonky punctuation and obsessions.
But above all…the truth.
Everything is true in the Hivemind.
You seem to have a major problem with cause and effect, generally.
What absolute marxist politics of envy is this rubbish? “freezing of assets and bank accounts of antivaxxers” Crikey commenters have reached a disgraceful new low. Is this person insane or this the new norm from Cky.? I am cancelling my subscription immediately. And with all the current vaccine side effects and deaths ststistics now coming to the surface it shows that Cky commenters and journalists got it wrong and that lone commenter Craig Nesbit was right all along. He warned you. You did n’t listen. What a fkn joke you all are. Good riddance.
“I am cancelling my subscription immediately.”
Oh dear. How sad. Never mind.
Promise that you’ll go?
And yet, oddly, you keep posting.
See the up votes? What mentality do people like this possess who vote “up” for rubbish like this? This is the deranged and unhinged mentality of most of the commenters here on Cky…and I am so sad to say, some of the journalists.
And if the sequestration of their assets restriction of movement and the re-education camps prove to be ineffective, what next?
Sterilization?
You already know the answer to that.
The views of you & your ilk, to paraphrase, lead, inevitably, -“And you heard the rattling death trains as you typed there all alone“.
(I don’t see you as a Pogues fan and you’d have no clue as to Cuchulainn.)
I would like to see an explanation of why A-Z is ok for people over 60 but not ok for people under 60. My assumption is that it has something to do with the strength of the immune system as one ages.Why the cut off at 60? Is there a better way to measure strength of immune system? My lack of a clear understanding of the current decision re the A-Z vaccine is making me concerned about having the vaccine.
The UK, which has a lot more data (see above) has set the age threshold at 30, half of the 60 decided here.
And, just hours ago, a 2nd case of clotting was identified here, with a woman in her 40’s.
I believe the policy is based on statistics from current medical evidence. The risks of serious harm from either covid or the rare side-effect of vaccination both vary with age. The risk from covid begins to clearly outweigh the risk of the side-effect at some age, hence the policy.
Wrong again stinking Rat. I kept the capital R for rat because you are one of pro vaccine Rats deserting a stinking vaccine ship. glug glug gurgle..down she goes.
It’s still so hard to believe how badly this has all gone. With so long to plan who should be first, and just do it, with so long to plan where people should be vaccinated and just organise it. It’s been a genuine stuff up all along the way.
It’s one of the oddities of this current shower – the serial stupidities & failures cannnot be deliberate but such constant screw-ups suggest an entity that finds it impossible to think & breathe simultaneously.
Is there a point to made from your continual drivel? Gibber gibber gibber and never anything of substance.