Morrison’s vaccine rollout falls behind Third World

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More scuttlebutt on the poorly executed Morrison Government vaccine rollout today. The Guardian notes that logistic problems have multiplied:

  • Vials arrived without needles.
  • Complaints of undersupply and failed deliveries are rife.
  • The vaccine booking website is allowing second shots days after the first when it should be three months.

The rollout schedule is now something of a laughing stock:

Too busy beating off?

Too busy beating off?

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Leaving us all but last among developed economies and badly lagging all kinds of emerging markets:

Just crap

Just crap

Australian vaccine hesitancy is also likely rising owing to the bungled procurement choices which have made us overly dependent upon the Astra Zeneca version. Thankfully its European problems are resolving given the connection with thrombosis has been pinpointed as narrow and highly treatable. But the US has now refused to use it, owing to dodgy trial results:

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  • US Government National Institutes of Health accusing AZ of “misrepresenting results”.
  • It accused AZ of including “outdated information.”
  • NIH is run by Anthony Fauci who did not say which data was in question.

This follows local questions over Coalition connections with AZ management.

Reports are that demand for immunisation is strong but the Morrison Government bumbling is clearly going to slow us down and cost many billions as a result. Not to mention that we are already far, far behind.

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About the author
David Llewellyn-Smith is Chief Strategist at the MB Fund and MB Super. David is the founding publisher and editor of MacroBusiness and was the founding publisher and global economy editor of The Diplomat, the Asia Pacific’s leading geo-politics and economics portal. He is also a former gold trader and economic commentator at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC and Business Spectator. He is the co-author of The Great Crash of 2008 with Ross Garnaut and was the editor of the second Garnaut Climate Change Review.