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Updated August 31st, 2021 at 16:02 IST

Australia to get 500K doses of Pfizer vaccine in swap deal with Singapore

The island continent will receive the stockpile in return for delivering the same number of vaccines to Singapore in December.

Reported by: Dipaneeta Das
Australia
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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In a bid to accelerate vaccine rollout in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced to have reached a deal with Singapore to acquire a large stock of Pfizer vaccines. As per the Associated Press report, Australia will get around 500,000 extra doses of COVID-19 jabs in a swap deal next week. The island continent will receive the stockpile in return for delivering the same number of vaccines to Singapore in December.

Australia allows vaccine for specially-abled kids aged between 12-15 years

“Twelve- to 15-year-olds in Australia will be vaccinated,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters at a presser.

Australia has announced that it will expand its inoculation program for specially-abled kids aged 12-15. Effective September 2, the decision aims to complete at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines for 40,000 children under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). As per the announcement made on Friday, the responsibility of vaccinating children with disabilities is to be vested in the hands of state and territory ministers. Meanwhile, talking about plans to inoculate children and adolescents, Prime Minister Morrison asserted, "[It] is a task that is certainly well within the capability of the vaccination program. The fact that one in three Australians over the age of 16 by the end of this week will be vaccinated - we have come forward a long way in these last few months."

Meanwhile, the Australian Medical regulator approved the Pfizer jabs as "safe for use" for children aged 12-15. On the other hand, Australia has administered the first dose of COVID-19 jabs to over 8 lakh citizens in the past week. In New South Wales (NSW), about 65% received their first doses, while another 35% were completely vaccinated.

Steep surge in COVID-19 delta variant cases

As of August 29, NSW recorded a daily caseload of 1,218 cases. The state also reported six new COVID-related deaths of persons who were not fully vaccinated. The country's largest cities Melbourne, Sydney, including capital city Canberra, have continued to witness a steep rise in Covid-19 cases amidst the weeks-long lockdown, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Meanwhile, hospitals in Sydney are running at their maximum capacity as 80% of fresh cases are reported from the city.

With inputs from AP
Image Credit: AP/representative

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Published August 31st, 2021 at 16:02 IST

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