Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au

Aaron Bunch
SA COVID-19 vaccinations to start in days

South Australia could start COVID-19 vaccinations as early as Monday, Premier Steven Marshall says.

February 17, 2021

Aged care residents and frontline health workers are set to be among the first South Australians vaccinated against COVID-19.

Health workers could start administering the Pfizer vaccine jabs as early as Monday, Premier Steven Marshall says.

The vaccines haven’t arrived in SA yet, but two freezers capable of storing them at the required minus 70C have been switched on and are waiting.

“We’ll receive them in the coming days. They should be ready to roll out in the coming week, possibly even Monday,” Mr Marshall told reporters on Wednesday.

“This is the largest peacetime exercise in the history of Australia but because of the planning we expect it to roll out very, very smoothly.”

About 12,000 people in SA will be vaccinated in first phase of the rollout.

Workers at SA’s border checkpoints, airports and medi-hotels will also be among those vaccinated, along with residents and staff at disabled care facilities and aged care workers.

Mr Marshall said people over the age of 70 and other vulnerable people would be vaccinated in the second phase of the program.

The newly installed freezers are able to hold 28,000 vials, which can deliver more than 100,000 inoculations.

Meanwhile, SA will lift travel restrictions for people from regional Victoria from midnight Wednesday, when the state’s five-day lockdown finishes.

Mr Marshall said restrictions on Greater Melbourne could be lifted on February 25.

“We’ve still got a long way to go until then, so we still need to get good results out of Victoria,” he said.

There were two new coronavirus cases diagnosed in SA on Wednesday, with 6200 tested on Tuesday.

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