Lieutenant General John Frewen teases incentives for states, territories lagging behind in Covid-19 jabs

The head of the nation’s vaccine taskforce says Covid-19 will eventually make its way across the country, and those reluctant to get the shot will be left behind.

While more than 80 per cent of Australian adults have now received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, authorities are still scratching their heads as to why some people have not received the jab and have suggested new incentives could be considered.

The ACT and NSW are leading the country with their first dose rates (94 per cent and 87 per cent respectively), but Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory are lagging behind (68 per cent, 67 per cent and 67 per cent respectively).

Lieutenant General John Frewen says authorities are working with states with low-rate “pockets” closely to drive vaccination rates higher, with international rollouts showing knocking off the last few percentage points will be “hard work”.

“We’re working with the state and territory authorities to try to figure out the best way to keep people coming forward,” General Frewen told Today.

“We think at the moment it’s still choice and convenience and understanding that gets us to the freedoms that we want.

“There’s certainly an element of complacency (in Queensland, WA and NT) because they haven’t had the major outbreaks.

“Brisbane’s had a couple of scares, so I think people have a better understanding there, but for WA … it’s just been life as normal for many people there.”

General Frewen said states so far relatively unscathed by Delta needed to “make the assumption” that the virus would eventually find its way “across the entire land”.

“Now is the time to get vaccinated … I’d say to people think really hard about that choice,” he said.

“There’s so many ways to get vaccinated now. It just doesn’t make sense to me to wait.”

With countries like the US and the UK now moving into the next phase of their vaccine rollouts – booster shots – General Frewen said Australia was still a few months behind that step.

“It may (happen) towards the end of the year, but otherwise it will certainly be in the new year, and the vaccines have been purchased for that,” he said.

“It will come, and hopefully we’ll seamlessly roll from the actual vaccination program into a business-as-usual flu shot-type booster program.”