After early Covid-19 response, Australia stuck in vaccine slow lane

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At Bruce Willett's general practice near the locked-down Australian city of Brisbane, the phone is running hot as younger people book AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccinations after the government suddenly changed policy to free up use of the drug, Reuters reports .

Four months into a vaccine rollout sold as the way to reopen the country, the programme is mired in confusion and frustration after a run of changing medical advice, public political fighting and weak messaging, public health leaders said.

After an aggressive early response spared the country the high death counts seen around the world since early 2020, a patchwork inoculation strategy risks leaving vulnerable groups at risk, while others defy official health advice, casting a fog over re-opening hopes, they added.

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A man wearing a protective face mask takes in the waterfront view under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, seen shrouded in morning fog, during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus outbreak in Sydney, Australia, July 1. — Reuters
A man wearing a protective face mask takes in the waterfront view under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, seen shrouded in morning fog, during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus outbreak in Sydney, Australia, July 1. — Reuters

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