Australia has shown the rest of the world that Covid-19 can be effectively handled. Now, Australia’s approach is showing its limitations.

Australia is in the grips of a fresh outbreak of Covid-19. Caused by the arrival of the Delta variant, Australian states are reimposing lockdown measures. In New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, cases are rising.

The situation in New South Wales is causing particular concern. On Sunday, Sydney announced 77 new cases. The state also recorded the first death from Covid-19 since April 13 2021. The outbreak in New South Wales is having a ripple effect across the country. A Sydney resident, who has since tested positive for Covid-19, visited Victoria and South Australia whilst infectious. As a consequence, both states are anticipating a rise in cases.

Due to the new rise in cases, states are taking action to prevent the Delta variant from taking hold. Sydney is now experiencing a fresh lockdown, whilst others introduced snap lockdowns on potential Covid hotspots. For those living in Sydney, a new lockdown means the draconian measures of previous lockdowns are returning. People are now only allowed to leave their homes for shopping, medical care, exercise and essential work or education. A maximum of two people can exercise together. All community sport must stop.

Previous Australian lockdowns have proved successful. When the pandemic began, Australia leapt to shut down their borders. On March 20, 2021, Australia only admitted citizens and residents arriving in the country. Anyone entering Australia also needed to quarantine for 14 days. By the end of April 2020, Australia was reporting fewer than 20 cases each day. At the end of 2020, Melbourne was in a state of lockdown for more than 110 days. Only when there were zero cases did the government remove the lockdown measures.

Australia has returned to normality due to the success of the lockdowns. Their Covid-zero strategy has so far proved effective. However, the Delta variant is wreaking havoc on their plans.

The ugly truth

As seen in the UK and India, the Delta variant can sweep through a country at an astonishing pace. The UK is regularly recording over 25,000 cases each day. Yet, the rise in cases has not seen the same increase in cases and deaths. The successful rollout of the vaccine has cut the connection between cases and deaths. The government, therefore, is pushing ahead with a full reopening and removal of all restrictions.

Australia’s vaccine rollout is floundering. Signs of this emerged in March 2021. Currently, just 9% of Australians are fully vaccinated. Over 50% of UK citizens have had both jabs. Australia was late to the party when it came to vaccines. The first dose was only administered on February 21.

Australia bet heavily on the AstraZeneca vaccine candidate, ordering 53.8 million doses. The government planned to have the vaccine manufactured at the Melbourne facility of the biotechnology company CSL. It also has an order with Novavax, but its vaccine has yet to be approved. Whilst other countries bet heavily on Pfizer’s and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines, Australia ordered only 10 million doses from Pfizer. Moderna will deliver 25 million doses by the end of 2021.

Although AstraZeneca doses are available, people are not booking their appointments. Criticism has plagued the AstraZeneca vaccine since it was found to cause thrombosis and thrombocytopenia syndrome, a rare blood clotting occurrence. In the UK, the under 30s have the option of either Pfizer or Moderna instead of AstraZeneca. Australia has gone further by recommending that only the over 60s should receive AstraZeneca. However, the risk of clotting is minimal. In 3.1 cases per 100,000 doses, clotting occurs. The benefits outweigh the risk.

However, the uptake of the vaccine remains low. Further compounding the uptake issue is the public health messaging on the vaccine. Recently, a vaccine advert received criticism for its depiction of a young woman suffering from Covid-19. Only Sydney is showing the advert to encourage people to get the vaccine as the city tackles its latest outbreak. The Australian government is defending the advert, saying that it is graphic to hammer home the severity of Covid-19. Yet, the advert is targeted at young people who are yet to be offered the vaccine.

The struggling vaccine effort is stopping Australia from reopening fully. Visitors must still quarantine on arrival. The exception is New Zealand with whom Australia has a travel bubble. The lack of immunity among Australians means that the risk of an outbreak spreading fast is greater.

Australia has put itself in an untenable situation. The nation cannot safely reopen until more Australians have antibodies to Covid-19. Vaccines are Australia’s best option for reaching this stage. Until Australia reaches a certain level of herd immunity, it will continue to suffer the social and economic costs.

Currently, Australia is a hermit nation, cut off from the rest of the world. The hermit reaction worked well in the early stages of the pandemic. However, now that the world is reopening, Australia finds itself isolated. Unless it can remedy its stuttering vaccine plan, it will remain this way for the foreseeable future.

About the Author: James Hingley

James Hingley is a contributing Features Writer with extensive expertise in International Relations, Politics and Culture.