Australia’s Political Capital Is Almost Completely Vaccinated
Australia’s Political Capital Is Almost Completely Vaccinated
(Bloomberg) -- Almost all eligible citizens in Australia’s “Bush Capital” have had at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and it is expected to reach full inoculation next month, a milestone that shows just how fast the nation has overcome a slow start to its vaccination rollout.
Canberra, one of a number of highly vaccinated cities in the Asia-Pacific region, achieved the feat by relying on education and access to get its citizens to embrace the rollout, according to Andrew Barr, the chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory which oversees the city.
Data show the city’s vaccination rate is at 96.8% for eligible people aged 12 and over. In terms of first doses, it’s given more than its population size as estimated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Barr says the real figure is likely to be around 99.9%, with just a few hundred people remaining unvaccinated. He expects a similar threshold for full inoculation to be reached by mid-December.
“We’ve had a resounding win for science and common sense,” Barr said in an interview. “We’re testing whether herd immunity is possible. ”
Only 14 people in the territory of about 450,000 people, which sits about 178 miles south of Sydney, have died of Covid-19 since the pandemic began.
The ACT, with a high proportion of its workforce linked to the public service and its three headquartered universities, rates first compared to the other seven states and territories in 10 of 11 key indicators including access to services, civic engagement, education, employment, health, safety and housing, according to the OECD Regional Well-Being index. Its workers are the most highly paid in the nation, earning 11% more than the average Australian.
Barr believes those factors have also helped his city’s citizens from being susceptible to anti-vaccination messaging on social media. Melbourne, which since the pandemic began has become the world’s most locked-down city, has in recent months encountered regular, sometimes violent protests from agitators linked to right-wing, Q-Anon groups.
“We don’t have the media or cultural environment that encourages conspiracy theories to flourish,” Barr said.
A tardy start to Australia’s vaccine roll-out earlier this year saw its inoculation rates trail the U.S and U.K., with Prime Minister Scott Morrison accused of being too slow to sign contracts with vaccine-makers. Still, New South Wales state -- home to Sydney -- has reached 91% double dose for those 16 and over. In Victoria, where Melbourne is located, that measure is at 88% for those aged 12 and over. Like Canberra, those cities have removed lockdowns and other restrictions in recent weeks as life in most regions Down Under get back to normal.
The Asia-Pacific region boasts some of the world’s most vaccinated metropolises. Singapore has fully vaccinated 85% of people in the city-state. In nearby Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, the rate is getting close to 90%. Paris has one of the highest vaccinated rates in Europe, with 92% of residents completing their vaccination.
Beijing had fully vaccinated 98.5% of all adult residents as of end of September, the last time it provided data; still, it remains arguable that all its citizens received their doses with their full volition. The Chinese capital is now focusing on rolling out shots to teens and young children as young as three and booster shots for all adults, even as the nation battles to preserve its Covid-Zero status by enforcing regional lockdowns as outbreaks pop up.
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.