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Updated August 3rd, 2021 at 12:35 IST

Australia PM rules out cash incentives for vaccinations

Australia's prime minister on Tuesday dismissed a proposal to pay people to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as an insult to Australians.

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Australia's prime minister on Tuesday dismissed a proposal to pay people to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as an insult to Australians. The opposition promised to pay anyone one who is vaccinated 300 Australian dollars ($221) if it wins elections that must be held by May.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison described such payments as a "vote of no-confidence and an insult to Australians suggesting they won't get vaccinated unless you dole out the cash." Opposition leader Anthony Albanese described his proposed payments as "rewarding Australians for doing the right thing." Only 19% of Australian adults had been fully vaccinated by Monday.

Most would prefer Pfizer which is in short supply. Many are concerned about the slight risk of blood clotting caused by AstraZeneca, the only alternative in Australia which thousands are refusing to take. But vaccine hesitancy is declining with Sydney and Brisbane, Australia's biggest and third-biggest cities respectively, locked down by clusters of the highly-contagious Delta variant.

The soldier in charge of Australia's vaccine rollout, Lt. Gen. John Frewen, said he thought vaccine incentives were not necessary. He said there were "really strong signs" that the vast majority of Australians intend to come forward to get vaccinated "because it's the right thing to do." 

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Published August 3rd, 2021 at 12:35 IST

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